Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Holdings Lowered by New York Life Investment Management LLC

New York Life Investment Management LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 0.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 47,251 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 423 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $5,792,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Tobam purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 196.8% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho cut their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays cut their price target on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.46.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $130.59 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The firm has a market cap of $41.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $132.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $135.23. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.46%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.30%.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, Mexico, Peru, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol.