LMR Partners LLP Invests $2 Million in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

LMR Partners LLP bought a new stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 16,333 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,002,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $669,400,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Valero Energy by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,725,700 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,257,024,000 after buying an additional 4,805,133 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $132,469,000. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,850,859 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $472,077,000 after purchasing an additional 529,513 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 22.5% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,864,418 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $351,151,000 after purchasing an additional 525,255 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Trading Up 3.6%

Shares of VLO stock opened at $135.16 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $120.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $128.45. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $99.00 and a twelve month high of $167.78. The company has a market capitalization of $42.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.94, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.27). Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. The firm had revenue of $28.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.54 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.82 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 159.72%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VLO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $127.00 to $154.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.93.

About Valero Energy

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.