Lmcg Investments LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Lmcg Investments LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 12.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 71,300 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 9,889 shares during the period. Lmcg Investments LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $9,628,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.2 %

VLO stock traded down $1.54 during trading on Friday, hitting $128.22. 2,169,961 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,574,284. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $136.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $148.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.50, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.39. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $119.88 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

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. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $7.49 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.32 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on VLO shares. Scotiabank dropped their target price 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. Barclays decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $146.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Valero Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $172.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.29.

Valero Energy 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.