Amalgamated Bank Sells 2,499 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Amalgamated Bank reduced its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 60,633 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 2,499 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $7,433,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4,908.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $384,907,000 after buying an additional 2,793,607 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 900.2% during the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 631,095 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $85,217,000 after acquiring an additional 568,000 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,585,166 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $484,105,000 after acquiring an additional 567,059 shares during the period. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $70,352,000. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 501.1% in the third quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 582,500 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $78,655,000 after acquiring an additional 485,600 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $130.11 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $41.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.34, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $116.84 and a 12 month high of $184.79. The company’s 50 day moving average is $131.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $135.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. As a group, research analysts anticipate 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 will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.47%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on VLO. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Mizuho dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler upgraded 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 issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.