Thomist Capital Management LP Invests $3.77 Million in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Thomist Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 31,500 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $3,767,000. Valero Energy comprises about 0.9% of Thomist Capital Management LP's holdings, making the stock its 24th largest position.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Scissortail Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 31,557.1% in the fourth quarter. Scissortail Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,216 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $272,000 after acquiring an additional 2,209 shares during the period. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 350.0% in the fourth quarter. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH now owns 55,196 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $6,766,000 after acquiring an additional 42,931 shares during the period. Semper Augustus Investments Group LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 61.5% in the fourth quarter. Semper Augustus Investments Group LLC now owns 189,019 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $23,172,000 after acquiring an additional 71,973 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 121,519 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $14,897,000 after buying an additional 1,572 shares during the period. Finally, Raiffeisen Bank International AG acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $464,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of VLO traded down $2.13 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $132.20. The stock had a trading volume of 1,908,613 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,024,485. 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 52-week low of $99.00 and a 52-week high of $167.78. The business's fifty day moving average is $121.39 and its 200 day moving average is $128.63. The firm has a market cap of $41.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.98.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.27). The firm had revenue of $28.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $28.54 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.82 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 20th. Valero Energy's payout ratio is 159.72%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $144.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Raymond James reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "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.