Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Purchased by Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,299,400 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 5,811 shares during the quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $160,018,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Capital Advisors Inc. OK increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 8.0% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 10,432 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,279,000 after acquiring an additional 776 shares during the period. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 96.0% in the 4th quarter. Indiana Trust & Investment Management Co now owns 392 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 192 shares during the period. Stonebridge Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $91,000. Essex Financial Services Inc. raised its position in Valero Energy by 40.8% in the fourth quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 4,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $555,000 after acquiring an additional 1,312 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Private Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 18.0% in the fourth quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,251 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $276,000 after acquiring an additional 343 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho decreased their price objective 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. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.46.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $136.90 on Wednesday. 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 company has a market cap of $43.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.14, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $116.84 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $130.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $136.90.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This is an increase 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.