BluePath Capital Management LLC Buys 2,082 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

BluePath Capital Management LLC grew its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 38.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,430 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,082 shares during the quarter. BluePath Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $991,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sendero Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $2,231,000. Burney Co. increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. Burney Co. now owns 40,200 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,928,000 after purchasing an additional 774 shares during the period. Moseley Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Moseley Investment Management Inc. now owns 15,089 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,850,000 after buying an additional 446 shares in the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 20.6% in the fourth quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 4,679 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $574,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the period. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in Valero Energy by 121.0% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 220,387 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,017,000 after buying an additional 120,652 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Up 3.0 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $138.10 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $116.84 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The company has a market capitalization of $43.72 billion, a PE ratio of 12.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a fifty day moving average of $131.10 and a 200-day moving average of $138.59.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.49 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th were issued a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.10%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.39%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on VLO. Bank of America began coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of 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 dropped their target price on shares of 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. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.57.

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.