New York State Teachers Retirement System Has $35.67 Million Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

New York State Teachers Retirement System reduced its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 7.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 290,935 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 24,849 shares during the quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $35,666,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 7,286 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $893,000 after purchasing an additional 508 shares during the last quarter. First Merchants Corp lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. First Merchants Corp now owns 17,691 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,169,000 after buying an additional 950 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 13.4% in the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 11,529 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,413,000 after buying an additional 1,359 shares during the period. Bogart Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 10.8% in the fourth quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 1,027 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $126,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the period. Finally, IMS Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $266,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $135.49 on Friday. 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 $42.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $130.55 and a 200-day moving average of $136.52. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $116.84 and a 1 year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on VLO. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.46.

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.