Paradiem LLC Has $16.12 Million Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Paradiem LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 31.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 131,510 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 31,361 shares during the period. Valero Energy accounts for 4.3% of Paradiem LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Paradiem LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $16,122,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Magnus Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Magnus Financial Group LLC now owns 1,818 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $223,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 68.4% during the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 32,000 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,923,000 after purchasing an additional 13,000 shares in the last quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 11,634 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,433,000 after purchasing an additional 761 shares in the last quarter. Dakota Wealth Management purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $1,438,000. Finally, Eads & Heald Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management now owns 4,856 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $595,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Barclays lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. Scotiabank lowered their price target 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. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $154.57.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO opened at $135.00 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $131.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $137.98. 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 1 year low of $116.84 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The firm has a market cap of $42.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.11, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. The business 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%. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $7.49 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm 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 $1.13 dividend. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.