Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Stake Lessened by Flputnam Investment Management Co.

Flputnam Investment Management Co. cut its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 16.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,164 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,673 shares during the period. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,491,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $534,892,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 12,883.3% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,047,360 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $136,157,000 after acquiring an additional 1,039,293 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 121.0% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,739,618 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $242,853,000 after acquiring an additional 952,518 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 94.4% in the 3rd quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,429,706 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $202,585,000 after acquiring an additional 694,224 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $75,019,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $169.00 on Wednesday. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $104.18 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.56. The company has a market capitalization of $56.19 billion, a PE ratio of 6.83, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $157.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.75.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.95 by $0.60. The firm had revenue of $35.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.76 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 31.62% and a net margin of 6.10%. The company’s revenue was down 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $8.45 EPS. Analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 17.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 1st were issued a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 31st. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.53%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Mizuho lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $150.00 to $173.00 in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $172.40.

Valero Energy 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.