45,000 Shares in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Bought by Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 45,000 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $5,517,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VLO. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $669,400,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,725,700 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $4,257,024,000 after acquiring an additional 4,805,133 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $132,469,000. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,850,859 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $472,077,000 after purchasing an additional 529,513 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 22.5% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,864,418 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $351,151,000 after purchasing an additional 525,255 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE:VLO traded up $0.39 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $135.76. The stock had a trading volume of 2,252,609 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,034,721. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $42.52 billion, a PE ratio of 16.01, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.98. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $167.78. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $120.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $128.51.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.27). The company 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 company's revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.82 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm 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 $1.13 dividend. 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 3.33%. Valero Energy's payout ratio is 159.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Barclays boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $144.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Scotiabank reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate 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.