10,000 Shares in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Purchased by Kieckhefer Group LLC

Kieckhefer Group LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 10,000 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,226,000. Valero Energy accounts for about 0.7% of Kieckhefer Group LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $34,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 196.8% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $50,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Piper Sandler cut shares of Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $169.00 to $123.00 in a report on Friday, September 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.57.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO stock traded up $7.64 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $134.79. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,294,283 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,295,725. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $130.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $138.89. The company has a market capitalization of $42.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.09, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results 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. 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%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $7.49 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th were issued a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.