Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $44.20 Million Stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.1% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 360,554 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 7,900 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $44,200,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 0.9% during the third quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,784 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,169,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,947 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $606,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators raised its position in Valero Energy by 6.4% during the third quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,420 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $192,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Americana Partners LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 5.0% during the third quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 1,883 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $254,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. raised its position in Valero Energy by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. now owns 4,687 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $575,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.46.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $139.09 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The firm has a market cap of $44.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.42. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $130.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $135.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.25%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.