Threadgill Financial LLC Makes New $2.75 Million Investment in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Threadgill Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 21,185 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,754,000. Valero Energy makes up approximately 1.8% of Threadgill Financial LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding.

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

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.3 %

VLO stock opened at $167.83 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.79, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.53. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $144.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $135.53. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $104.18 and a fifty-two week high of $172.46.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.95 by $0.60. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 31.62% and a net margin of 6.10%. The firm had revenue of $35.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.76 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $8.45 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 15.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 4th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 1st were given a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 31st. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.55%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.31%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Raymond James boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Bank of America upgraded Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $156.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $138.00 to $171.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 20th. Mizuho cut Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $150.00 to $173.00 in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $165.69.

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.