Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Grows Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 6.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 504,221 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 30,131 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.16% of Valero Energy worth $62,655,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,725,700 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,257,024,000 after buying an additional 4,805,133 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 4,908.0% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $384,907,000 after acquiring an additional 2,793,607 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $132,469,000. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its position in Valero Energy by 159.3% during the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 850,161 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $104,221,000 after purchasing an additional 522,233 shares during the period. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $70,352,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.4 %

NYSE:VLO opened at $131.43 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $133.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $133.33. The firm has a market cap of $41.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. 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 (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. Analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.44%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.