Pitcairn Co. Acquires 126 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Pitcairn Co. increased its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 9,454 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. Pitcairn Co.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,159,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $669,400,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings 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 during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Valero Energy by 4,908.0% during the third 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. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $132,469,000. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 159.3% in the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 850,161 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $104,221,000 after purchasing an additional 522,233 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $114.41 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $112.76 and a 12 month high of $184.79. The company has a market capitalization of $36.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $132.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $133.17. 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 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 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 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.95%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler dropped 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, March 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus 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.