Hartford Investment Management Co. Has $2.40 Million Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Hartford Investment Management Co. lessened its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 19,546 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 630 shares during the quarter. Hartford Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,396,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VLO. Inspire Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 24.0% during the 3rd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 2,104 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $284,000 after acquiring an additional 407 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $609,000. Creative Planning boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 84,573 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $11,420,000 after purchasing an additional 3,097 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $248,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. now owns 4,995 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $674,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $131.03 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $41.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $130.51 and a 200 day simple moving average of $136.71. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. Analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.45%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 53.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on VLO. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.