MBM Wealth Consultants LLC Raises Stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

MBM Wealth Consultants LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 7.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 11,634 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 761 shares during the period. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,433,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 212.6% in the 2nd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 8,813 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,382,000 after purchasing an additional 5,994 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 10.8% during the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 68,324 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $10,710,000 after purchasing an additional 6,638 shares in the last quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 456.6% in the second quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC now owns 3,356 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $526,000 after buying an additional 2,753 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its position in Valero Energy by 0.8% during the second quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 56,947 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $8,927,000 after buying an additional 459 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Xponance Inc. grew its stake in Valero Energy by 3.1% during the second quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 67,807 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $10,629,000 after buying an additional 2,070 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO opened at $139.50 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The company has a 50-day moving average of $131.31 and a 200-day moving average of $138.08. The company has a market capitalization of $44.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.51, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.49 EPS. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.24%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 38.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Mizuho reduced their price objective 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. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Scotiabank reduced their price target 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered 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 report on Friday, October 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.57.

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.