WINTON GROUP Ltd Increases Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

WINTON GROUP Ltd increased its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1,816.6% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 54,432 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 51,592 shares during the quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $6,673,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Tobam purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 196.8% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $134.50 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. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $116.84 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The company’s 50-day moving average is $133.81 and its 200 day moving average is $133.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (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%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.36%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $152.67.

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.