MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. Raises Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 7.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 56,868 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,001 shares during the quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $6,971,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Tobam purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $37,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 122.0% in the fourth quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.6%

NYSE VLO traded down $2.13 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $132.20. 1,908,613 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,024,485. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $167.78. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $121.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $128.60. The company has a market cap of $41.41 billion, a PE ratio of 15.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $28.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.54 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. Valero Energy's revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $3.82 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 20th. Valero Energy's payout ratio is currently 159.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $127.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, Raymond James lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $151.93.

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.