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

Kwmg LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 5.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 86,063 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,366 shares during the period. Valero Energy comprises approximately 1.1% of Kwmg LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Kwmg LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $10,551,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. JCIC Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Valero Energy by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. JCIC Asset Management Inc. now owns 48,734 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $5,974,000 after buying an additional 710 shares during the period. Cooper Financial Group lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 3,587 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $440,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 6,580 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $837,000 after buying an additional 336 shares during the last quarter. Adams Asset Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Adams Asset Advisors LLC now owns 71,703 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $8,790,000 after buying an additional 587 shares during the period. Finally, Thomasville National Bank raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Thomasville National Bank now owns 34,506 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,230,000 after acquiring an additional 661 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VLO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $169.00 to $123.00 in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Finally, Scotiabank cut their target price on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.57.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO stock traded up $6.34 during trading on Monday, reaching $133.49. The stock had a trading volume of 4,357,739 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,604,096. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $130.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.89. The firm has a market cap of $42.26 billion, a PE ratio of 11.97, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The firm’s revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $7.49 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company 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. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 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.