Dana Investment Advisors Inc. Sells 2,379 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Dana Investment Advisors Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 11.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,677 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 2,379 shares during the quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,290,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Valero Energy by 4,908.0% during the 3rd 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 purchasing an additional 2,793,607 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 900.2% during the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 631,095 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $85,217,000 after buying an additional 568,000 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 18.8% during the 3rd quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,585,166 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $484,105,000 after buying an additional 567,059 shares in the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $70,352,000. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 501.1% during the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 582,500 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $78,655,000 after buying an additional 485,600 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO opened at $127.00 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $132.76 and a 200 day moving average of $134.45. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $116.84 and a 52-week high of $184.79. 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 $40.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.98, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted 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 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.56%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 53.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on VLO. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays cut their price target on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Mizuho cut their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $156.08.

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.