National Pension Service Acquires 18,677 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

National Pension Service lifted its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 947,891 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,677 shares during the period. National Pension Service’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $116,202,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Denali Advisors LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 28.1% in the 4th quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 4,100 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $503,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares during the period. Daner Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $410,000. Horizon Advisory Services Inc. raised its position in Valero Energy by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,116 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the period. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $1,613,000. Finally, Skylands Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $2,151,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $130.11 on Thursday. 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 stock has a market cap of $41.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $131.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $135.41. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. On average, analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.47%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on VLO. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note 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 research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.46.

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.