Cerity Partners LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 94.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 58,782 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 28,501 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $7,642,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Blair William & Co. IL raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 33,427 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,394,000 after buying an additional 632 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Valero Energy by 21.7% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 100,006 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $10,163,000 after acquiring an additional 17,844 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its position in Valero Energy by 12.5% in the 1st quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 60,730 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $6,167,000 after acquiring an additional 6,735 shares during the last quarter. Prudential PLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $1,253,000. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. grew its position in Valero Energy by 21.0% in the 1st quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 6,780 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $688,000 after acquiring an additional 1,179 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $170.67 on Tuesday. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $104.18 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $156.56 and its 200 day moving average is $138.56. The company has a market cap of $56.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.90, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.95 by $0.60. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 31.62% and a net margin of 6.10%. The company had revenue of $35.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.76 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $8.45 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 17.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 1st were paid a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 31st. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.51%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 1st. UBS Group upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Citigroup began coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Barclays increased their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Bank of America raised Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $156.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Friday, March 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $172.40.

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.