Lmcg Investments LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Lmcg Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 9.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 81,189 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,969 shares during the quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $12,727,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. 9258 Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. 9258 Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,704 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $222,000 after purchasing an additional 114 shares during the period. Financial Advocates Investment Management boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Financial Advocates Investment Management now owns 6,154 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $800,000 after buying an additional 114 shares during the period. ING Groep NV acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $6,059,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $570,428,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 2.0% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 172,884 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $22,475,000 after acquiring an additional 3,449 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $133.74 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.48. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $119.88 and a one year high of $184.79. The company has a market cap of $43.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.40. The business has a fifty day moving average of $146.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $155.43.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.60 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 21.01%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $5.40 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 12.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st were given a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.20%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on VLO shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Wolfe Research started coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 target price on the stock. Barclays decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 14th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $171.36.

Valero Energy Company 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.