Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Sells 62,219 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. trimmed its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 26.0% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 177,413 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 62,219 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $21,749,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4,908.0% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $384,907,000 after buying an additional 2,793,607 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 11,318.9% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,076,349 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $145,339,000 after acquiring an additional 1,066,923 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 900.2% in the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 631,095 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $85,217,000 after purchasing an additional 568,000 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Valero Energy by 18.8% during the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,585,166 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $484,105,000 after purchasing an additional 567,059 shares during the period. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $70,352,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Down 3.0 %

VLO opened at $135.36 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The company has a fifty day moving average of $131.11 and a 200-day moving average of $137.72. The stock has a market cap of $42.85 billion, a PE ratio of 12.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend 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 payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the topic of several analyst reports. Scotiabank reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.54.

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.