Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Bought by Quantinno Capital Management LP

Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 37.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 24,647 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after buying an additional 6,772 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $3,021,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 123,356 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $14,751,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 6.5% in the fourth quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $3,897,000 after purchasing an additional 1,937 shares during the period. Patten Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $277,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Valero Energy by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,701,232 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,311,864,000 after buying an additional 413,963 shares during the period. Finally, Private Management Group Inc. increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 7.4% in the fourth quarter. Private Management Group Inc. now owns 372,451 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $45,659,000 after buying an additional 25,600 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of VLO stock traded up $0.83 on Thursday, reaching $128.63. 3,097,227 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,034,900. 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 stock has a market cap of $40.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.98. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $121.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $128.62. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $167.78.

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

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.51%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 159.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Raymond James cut their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. UBS Group reduced their price target 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $121.00 to $118.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $151.93.

Valero Energy 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.