KBC Group NV Buys 68,790 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 48.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 210,361 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 68,790 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $25,788,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 1.8% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,293,589 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $174,673,000 after purchasing an additional 22,571 shares during the last quarter. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,226,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,897,000 after buying an additional 1,937 shares during the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $274,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 7.5% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 89,762 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $12,121,000 after buying an additional 6,278 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on VLO shares. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Scotiabank reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.54.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $138.14 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company’s 50-day moving average is $131.23 and its 200 day moving average is $137.78. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.27%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.39%.

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.