LMR Partners LLP Takes Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

LMR Partners LLP bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 16,333 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $2,002,000.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. LRT Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $630,000. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $5,517,000. Interval Partners LP raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 177.9% in the fourth quarter. Interval Partners LP now owns 38,784 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $4,755,000 after acquiring an additional 24,829 shares during the period. Investment Management Corp of Ontario increased its stake in Valero Energy by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Investment Management Corp of Ontario now owns 21,724 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,663,000 after buying an additional 343 shares during the period. Finally, Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC NC now owns 1,979 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $243,000 after buying an additional 173 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock traded up $0.39 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $135.76. 2,252,609 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,036,469. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $99.00 and a 1 year high of $167.78. The company has a market capitalization of $42.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.98. The business has a fifty day moving average of $121.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $128.57. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 for 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 was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.33%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 159.72%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on VLO. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $121.00 to $118.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Raymond James decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $151.93.

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.