Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Stock Holdings Lessened by Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp cut its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 336,073 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 12,272 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp owned 0.11% of Valero Energy worth $41,199,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake 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 purchasing an additional 4,805,133 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 worth $1,311,864,000 after acquiring an additional 413,963 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.6% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,687,585 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $639,268,000 after acquiring an additional 247,630 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 13.6% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,072,188 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $499,210,000 after acquiring an additional 487,022 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 4,908.0% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $384,907,000 after purchasing an additional 2,793,607 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.9 %

Valero Energy stock opened at $134.50 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $42.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $133.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $133.35. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a $1.13 dividend. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.36%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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