Czech National Bank Boosts Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Czech National Bank boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 5.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 72,714 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,072 shares during the period. Czech National Bank's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $9,603,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Tobam acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 122.0% during the 4th quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently commented on VLO shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $121.00 to $118.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Raymond James lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $144.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $127.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Two research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $151.93.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE VLO traded up $0.24 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $126.78. 1,844,818 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,026,760. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.95, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.98. 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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $120.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $128.06. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $99.00 and a twelve month high of $167.78.

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

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.57%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 20th. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 159.72%.

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.