QRG Capital Management Inc. Buys 17,239 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 30.5% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 73,803 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,239 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $12,597,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Modera Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $274,000. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 10.6% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 43,597 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $6,178,000 after purchasing an additional 4,184 shares in the last quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $223,000. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 32,357.7% during the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 8,439 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,097,000 after buying an additional 8,413 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Central Bank & Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. now owns 53,829 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $6,998,000 after buying an additional 1,120 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of Valero Energy stock traded up $0.08 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $148.83. The company had a trading volume of 1,377,818 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,079,862. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $154.94 and a 200 day moving average price of $152.03. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $113.16 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The firm has a market cap of $48.67 billion, a PE ratio of 7.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.64. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. The firm had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $8.27 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 15.34 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 30th were given a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Argus lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $170.07.

Insider Activity

In other Valero Energy news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 13,314 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.04% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.