Sava Infond d.o.o. Acquires New Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Sava Infond d.o.o. bought a new position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 1,500 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $184,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Quest Partners LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $134,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 89.1% during the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 16,855 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,276,000 after acquiring an additional 7,942 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 6.3% during the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 3,430 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $463,000 after acquiring an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 183.4% in the third quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 7,726 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,043,000 after purchasing an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Finally, Cynosure Group LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 9.2% during the third quarter. Cynosure Group LLC now owns 2,741 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $370,000 after purchasing an additional 232 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $133.14 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.94 billion, a PE ratio of 15.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $116.84 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $133.68 and its two-hundred day moving average is $133.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share 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%. Analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.39%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the subject of several analyst reports. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $152.67.

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.