Lmcg Investments LLC Sells 5,802 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Lmcg Investments LLC decreased its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 8.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 65,498 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 5,802 shares during the quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $8,029,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 1.8% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,293,589 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $174,673,000 after acquiring an additional 22,571 shares during the period. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,226,000. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 7.5% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 89,762 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $12,121,000 after purchasing an additional 6,278 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $274,000. Finally, HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 136.1% in the third quarter. HITE Hedge Asset Management LLC now owns 75,117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $10,143,000 after acquiring an additional 43,299 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.3 %

VLO opened at $141.21 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $131.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.20. The firm has a market cap of $44.70 billion, a PE ratio of 12.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. 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 (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.49 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 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. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a $1.13 dividend. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on VLO. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target 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. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.