Russell Investments Group Ltd. Increases Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 6.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 465,888 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 27,850 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.15% of Valero Energy worth $57,066,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Tobam bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC lifted its position in Valero Energy by 122.0% in the 4th quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $104.64 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $131.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $132.92. The stock has a market cap of $32.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.17. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $100.50 and a twelve month high of $183.38.

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 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%. As a group, research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.32%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.