Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. cut its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 51.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,443 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 5,717 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $667,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Tobam acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings 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 valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $152.67.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $133.14 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. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $133.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $133.35. The company has a market capitalization of $41.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.70, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. On average, analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.39%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 53.30%.

About Valero Energy

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.