Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Bought by Bessemer Group Inc.

Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 18.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 20,106 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,200 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,465,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Tobam acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC raised its position in shares of 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 valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.4 %

NYSE:VLO opened at $110.59 on Monday. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $99.00 and a 12-month high of $174.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $127.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $131.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $34.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.17.

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

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 53.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Piper Sandler decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Mizuho dropped their target price 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. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased 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. Finally, Scotiabank cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $152.46.

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.