Generali Investments Management Co LLC Buys New Shares in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Generali Investments Management Co LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 2,202 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $270,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Tobam acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on VLO shares. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.08.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $131.97 on Wednesday. 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 $41.57 billion, a PE ratio of 15.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. The business has a 50 day moving average of $133.50 and a 200-day moving average of $133.58. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month 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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.43%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 53.30%.

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.