Clarius Group LLC Boosts Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Clarius Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,919 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the period. Clarius Group LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $603,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VLO. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 196.8% in the 3rd 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. purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $50,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. 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 report on Thursday, October 10th. Barclays cut their price target on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.57.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $141.21 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.66, 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $131.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $138.34.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $7.49 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.96 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 38.39%.

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.