Magnus Financial Group LLC Raises Stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Magnus Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 9.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,818 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 155 shares during the period. Magnus Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $223,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Viking Fund Management LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 68.4% in the 4th quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 32,000 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,923,000 after buying an additional 13,000 shares during the period. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. MBM Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 11,634 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,433,000 after purchasing an additional 761 shares during the period. Dakota Wealth Management acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,438,000. Eads & Heald Wealth Management raised its stake in Valero Energy by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management now owns 4,856 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $595,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 135,339 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $16,591,000 after purchasing an additional 1,311 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America began coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have issued 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 target price of $154.57.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $140.75 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $131.27 and a two-hundred day moving average of $137.96. 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 stock has a market cap of $44.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.62, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion during 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 quarterly revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $7.49 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. 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 3.21%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio 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.