Jones Financial Companies Lllp Increases Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 33.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 95,156 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 23,929 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $11,665,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VLO. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.5% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,287,269 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,389,090,000 after acquiring an additional 50,837 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in Valero Energy by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,687,585 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $639,268,000 after purchasing an additional 247,630 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Valero Energy by 13.6% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 4,072,188 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $499,210,000 after purchasing an additional 487,022 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 4,908.0% in the 3rd 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 purchasing an additional 2,793,607 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 2,533,434 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $342,090,000 after purchasing an additional 151,200 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $128.37 on Tuesday. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $116.84 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $132.25 and a 200-day simple moving average of $134.90. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $40.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.14, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42.

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, topping 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%. Equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.52%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VLO. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays cut their price target on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho dropped 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, Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.