MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH Purchases 5,311 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH grew its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 11.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 53,345 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,311 shares during the quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $6,935,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Live Oak Investment Partners bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1,676.9% in the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 231 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.7 %

VLO traded up $2.88 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $170.69. 3,325,987 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,672,776. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.75 billion, a PE ratio of 6.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $146.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $136.00. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $104.18 and a 1 year 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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.95 by $0.60. The firm had revenue of $35.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.76 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 6.10% and a return on equity of 31.62%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $8.45 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 16.2 EPS 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 issued a $1.07 dividend. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.51%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 31st. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 17.31%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Bank of America upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $156.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $149.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 29th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $165.69.

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.