Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by MRP Capital Investments LLC

MRP Capital Investments LLC reduced its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 56.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,824 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 16,353 shares during the period. Valero Energy makes up about 1.8% of MRP Capital Investments LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. MRP Capital Investments LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,667,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Deutsche Bank AG grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 5.8% during the third quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,005,346 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $142,468,000 after acquiring an additional 55,351 shares during the period. Stiles Financial Services Inc grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 49.7% during the fourth quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 7,615 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $991,000 after acquiring an additional 2,529 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,788,994 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $362,569,000 after acquiring an additional 342,218 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 645,726 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $83,867,000 after acquiring an additional 18,575 shares during the period. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 10.5% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 83,290 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $11,803,000 after acquiring an additional 7,910 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.9 %

Shares of Valero Energy stock traded down $3.44 during trading on Friday, hitting $173.60. 2,451,880 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,412,451. The stock has a market cap of $57.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.02, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.56. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $104.18 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $155.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.45.

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

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 1st were paid a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.47%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 31st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. Mizuho lowered Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price target for the company from $150.00 to $173.00 in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Raymond James increased their price target on Valero Energy from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Citigroup started coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on Valero Energy from $161.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $172.40.

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.