DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main Has $4.36 Million Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main lowered its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 38.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 35,524 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 22,435 shares during the quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $4,355,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Valero Energy by 0.8% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 368,454 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $49,752,000 after purchasing an additional 3,065 shares in the last quarter. Watts Gwilliam & Co. LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $1,414,000. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 6.9% during the fourth quarter. Tilia Fiduciary Partners Inc. now owns 15,553 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,907,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 68,642 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $8,415,000 after acquiring an additional 3,378 shares during the period. Finally, EWG Elevate Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $438,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Trading Up 3.6%

Valero Energy stock traded up $4.67 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $135.16. 3,388,670 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,038,091. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.94, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.98. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $120.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $128.41. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $99.00 and a fifty-two week high of $167.78.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.27). The firm had revenue of $28.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.54 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $3.82 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be given a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 20th. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 159.72%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on VLO. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $144.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $154.00 in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $151.93.

Valero Energy Company 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.