Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Bought by Magnus Financial Group LLC

Magnus Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 9.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,818 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the period. Magnus Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $223,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on VLO. 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 research report on Thursday, October 10th. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Barclays decreased 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 report on Monday, November 11th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, 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 report on Wednesday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.57.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $140.75 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $131.27 and its 200-day moving average is $137.96. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The firm’s revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $7.49 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

About Valero Energy

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.