Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Bought by Candriam S.C.A.

Candriam S.C.A. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 102,814 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 3,264 shares during the quarter. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $12,604,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $132,469,000. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 12,346 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,513,000 after buying an additional 418 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $236,000. SPC Financial Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. SPC Financial Inc. now owns 8,272 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,014,000 after buying an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atria Investments Inc boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 46,305 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $5,676,000 after buying an additional 1,708 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.08.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO stock opened at $127.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.98, a PEG 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $132.76 and its two-hundred day moving average is $134.45.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current 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 dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.56%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

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.