Sei Investments Co. Raises Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Sei Investments Co. raised its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 6.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 219,606 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,425 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. owned 0.07% of Valero Energy worth $26,924,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $134,000. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 10,335 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,395,000 after purchasing an additional 446 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 34.6% in the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 110,660 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $14,942,000 after purchasing an additional 28,441 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 71.9% in the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 5,117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $691,000 after purchasing an additional 2,141 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Summit Trail Advisors LLC lifted its position in Valero Energy by 9.2% during the third quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 3,597 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $486,000 after buying an additional 302 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on VLO shares. Mizuho cut their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.08.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $132.02 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $133.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $133.34. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The company has a market capitalization of $41.58 billion, a PE ratio of 15.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. 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 issued 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 net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.42%. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.