Erste Asset Management GmbH Has $17.93 Million Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Erste Asset Management GmbH cut its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 104,150 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 2,573 shares during the quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $17,928,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Valero Energy by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,724,707 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,576,035,000 after buying an additional 286,942 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 16.7% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,141,511 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,089,897,000 after acquiring an additional 1,164,217 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the second quarter worth about $827,390,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,024,322 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $675,369,000 after purchasing an additional 148,195 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,381,316 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $331,415,000 after purchasing an additional 77,070 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on VLO shares. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Erste Group Bank initiated coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Monday, November 10th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Mizuho restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $192.00 price target (up from $190.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Friday, December 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $187.67.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of VLO stock opened at $204.49 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $185.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $171.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $99.00 and a 1 year high of $206.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.77, a PEG ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.77.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.55. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 12.34%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.64 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 5th will be paid a $1.20 dividend. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 5th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 62.83%.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company’s operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.