Paradiem LLC Increases Stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Paradiem LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 31.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 131,510 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 31,361 shares during the period. Valero Energy accounts for 4.3% of Paradiem LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Paradiem LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $16,122,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 0.5% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,287,269 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,389,090,000 after buying an additional 50,837 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 2.8% in the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,956,743 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,090,532,000 after buying an additional 192,397 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 5.6% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,687,585 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $639,268,000 after buying an additional 247,630 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 18.8% in the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,585,166 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $484,105,000 after buying an additional 567,059 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4,908.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $384,907,000 after purchasing an additional 2,793,607 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Down 3.2 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $135.00 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $42.74 billion, a PE ratio of 12.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.42. 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 business has a fifty day moving average price of $131.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $137.98. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $116.84 and a 1 year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $7.49 EPS. Analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.35%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 38.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on VLO. Citigroup lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Scotiabank lowered 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 lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.57.

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.