802,478 Shares in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Acquired by Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 802,478 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $98,376,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.25% of Valero Energy at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Tobam bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of VLO stock traded down $0.36 on Friday, reaching $128.80. 3,870,339 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,039,984. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $120.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $128.35. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $167.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.34 billion, a PE ratio of 15.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.98.

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

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.51%. Valero Energy's payout ratio is 159.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Barclays lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $154.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus 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.