Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Has $107.41 Million Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 630,870 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,703 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $107,412,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Waddell & Associates LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 2.8% during the third quarter. Waddell & Associates LLC now owns 2,040 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $347,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. DSG Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. DSG Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,803 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $647,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Cypress Capital Group lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cypress Capital Group now owns 18,786 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,199,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 3,381 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $576,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 70.2% in the third quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on VLO. Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $192.00 target price (up from $190.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Friday, December 12th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Argus upgraded shares of Valero Energy to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Erste Group Bank initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Monday, November 10th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $187.67.

Valero Energy Trading Up 2.1%

VLO opened at $203.79 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Valero Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $99.00 and a fifty-two week high of $206.77. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $184.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $171.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.67, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.77.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.55. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 12.34%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.64 earnings per share. Valero Energy’s revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation 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 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 5th will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 5th. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.83%.

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company’s operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.