New Mexico Educational Retirement Board Reduces Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

New Mexico Educational Retirement Board cut its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,316 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 700 shares during the period. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,878,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Tobam acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 196.8% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VLO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.46.

Valero Energy Stock Up 3.4 %

Valero Energy stock opened at $135.49 on Monday. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $130.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $136.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 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.