Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA Purchases New Shares in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,214 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $145,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings 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 worth $384,907,000 after buying an additional 2,793,607 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its position 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 worth $85,217,000 after acquiring an additional 568,000 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 18.8% in 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 purchasing an additional 567,059 shares during the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $70,352,000. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 501.1% during 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 purchasing an additional 485,600 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $133.62 on Wednesday. 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 cap of $42.30 billion, a PE ratio of 15.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $116.84 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $131.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $135.45.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly 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%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is 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 dividend yield of 3.38%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Piper Sandler raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered 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. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus 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.