Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Purchased by Alliancebernstein L.P.

Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 483,740 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,456 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $59,302,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 123,356 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $14,751,000 after acquiring an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,226,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,897,000 after purchasing an additional 1,937 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $274,000. Finally, Patten Group Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $277,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Trading Down 8.4 %

Valero Energy stock opened at $104.64 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $102.60 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $131.94 and its 200-day moving average is $132.97. 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 $32.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.34, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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%. On average, equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.32%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 53.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho lowered their target price 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on 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 issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $152.67.

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.