Kwmg LLC Increases Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Kwmg LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 5.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 86,063 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,366 shares during the quarter. Valero Energy accounts for approximately 1.1% of Kwmg LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Kwmg LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $10,551,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 5.7% during the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 1,356 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $213,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 17.4% in the second quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 2,867 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $449,000 after acquiring an additional 424 shares during the period. 1ST Source Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 55.6% in the 2nd quarter. 1ST Source Bank now owns 4,151 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $651,000 after acquiring an additional 1,483 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.7% during the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,786 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $594,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares during the period. Finally, Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 1,795.6% during the 2nd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 25,193 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $3,949,000 after purchasing an additional 23,864 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Scotiabank dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Mizuho reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $154.57.

Valero Energy Stock Up 5.0 %

VLO traded up $6.34 during trading on Monday, hitting $133.49. The stock had a trading volume of 5,190,080 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,783,311. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $131.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $138.75. 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 Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The company has a market capitalization of $42.26 billion, a PE ratio of 11.97, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.49 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were issued a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.21%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

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.