Fmr LLC Cuts Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Fmr LLC reduced its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 16.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 4,594,245 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 889,944 shares during the quarter. Fmr LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $563,208,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,725,700 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,257,024,000 after acquiring an additional 4,805,133 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,701,232 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,311,864,000 after acquiring an additional 413,963 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,871,229 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $844,775,000 after purchasing an additional 100,248 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $669,400,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,759,172 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $583,427,000 after buying an additional 71,587 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $105.24 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $129.89 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $132.30. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $99.00 and a 12-month high of $182.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $33.15 billion, a PE ratio of 12.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.29%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company 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 given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.