Kwmg LLC Buys 4,366 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Kwmg LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 86,063 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,366 shares during the period. Valero Energy accounts for 1.1% of Kwmg LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Kwmg LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $10,551,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $34,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 196.8% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on VLO shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Scotiabank cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Mizuho lowered 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.57.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO stock traded up $6.34 on Monday, reaching $133.49. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 4,357,739 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,604,096. The company has a market capitalization of $42.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.97, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $130.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $138.89. 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 (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $7.49 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were given a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.