Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Holdings Increased by Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 214.4% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 14,475 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,871 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,882,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $42,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO traded down $0.01 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $162.55. The stock had a trading volume of 322,828 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,131,129. The company’s fifty day moving average is $166.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $144.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $105.66 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.64. The business had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $8.27 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 18.11 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 29th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.63%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following the transaction, the director now owns 13,314 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Argus downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Finally, UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $173.87.

About Valero Energy

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.