Clarius Group LLC Purchases 206 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Clarius Group LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,919 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the period. Clarius Group LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $603,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 8.2% during the second quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,440 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $383,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 10.2% in the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 11,229 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,760,000 after acquiring an additional 1,040 shares in the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 4.1% in the second quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 3,295 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $517,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 212.6% during the second 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Symmetry Investments LP bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $258,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. BMO Capital Markets dropped 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. TD Cowen cut their price target 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. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.57.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $141.21 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $131.25 and its 200-day moving average is $138.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.70 billion, a PE ratio of 12.66, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its 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 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 analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.49 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.96 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 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.