Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. Boosts Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,157 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 164 shares during the period. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,000,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 21.7% during the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,693 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $904,000 after buying an additional 1,192 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in Valero Energy by 126.4% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 46,649 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $6,299,000 after acquiring an additional 26,044 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $134,000. Prospera Financial Services Inc raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 11,350 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,534,000 after acquiring an additional 363 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,870 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,468,000 after purchasing an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on VLO. 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. 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. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.08.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $133.89 on Thursday. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. 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 company has a 50 day moving average price of $133.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $133.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.79, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping 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%. Equities research analysts forecast 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 $1.13 dividend. 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%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 53.30%.

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.