Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. Buys 90 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,687 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $575,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings 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 worth $384,907,000 after buying an additional 2,793,607 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 11,318.9% during the third 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 last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its holdings 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 last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 18.8% in 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 last quarter. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the third quarter worth $70,352,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of VLO opened at $141.40 on Tuesday. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $44.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.68, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.42. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $131.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $137.82. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 38.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Mizuho lowered their price objective 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. Scotiabank dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.