MRP Capital Investments LLC Sells 3,225 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

MRP Capital Investments LLC trimmed its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 28.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,949 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,225 shares during the period. MRP Capital Investments LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,353,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 17.4% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 160,794 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,377,000 after purchasing an additional 23,859 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 15.7% in the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 161,957 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $21,770,000 after purchasing an additional 21,997 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $4,534,000. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 9.0% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 104,859 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $17,853,000 after purchasing an additional 8,638 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tema Etfs LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,669,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $190.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $195.00 target price (down from $198.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $193.20.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.60, for a total value of $95,440.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $238.73 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $201.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $179.60. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $242.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.39 billion, a PE ratio of 31.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.70.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.55. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 12.35% and a net margin of 1.91%.The firm had revenue of $30.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.64 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 5th were paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 5th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.83%.

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company’s operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.