Kieckhefer Group LLC Takes Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

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

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of VLO. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 4,908.0% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $384,907,000 after acquiring an additional 2,793,607 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 11,318.9% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,076,349 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $145,339,000 after buying an additional 1,066,923 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its position in Valero Energy by 900.2% during the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 631,095 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $85,217,000 after acquiring an additional 568,000 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in Valero Energy by 18.8% during 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, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $70,352,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Scotiabank reduced 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. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Mizuho dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of 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 research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.57.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock traded up $7.64 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $134.79. 2,294,283 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,295,725. The company’s 50 day moving average is $130.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.89. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $116.84 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The company has a market cap of $42.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 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.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced 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 the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.49 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. 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.