Cynosure Group LLC Grows Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Cynosure Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 9.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,741 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 232 shares during the quarter. Cynosure Group LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $370,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth $33,000. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the second quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Scotiabank dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $155.86.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $138.56 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $120.21 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 $43.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.39. The business has a fifty day moving average of $136.83 and a two-hundred day moving average of $145.47.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. Valero Energy’s revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $7.49 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.09%. Valero Energy’s 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.