Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Sells 44,304 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lessened its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 38.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 72,201 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 44,304 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $8,851,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Tobam bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 196.8% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. Barclays reduced their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.46.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $133.62 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $42.30 billion, a PE ratio of 15.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The business’s fifty day moving average is $131.44 and its 200 day moving average is $135.45. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date is 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 yield of 3.38%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 53.30%.

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.