Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Has $10.12 Million Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lowered its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 64,569 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,053 shares during the quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $10,122,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in VLO. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Signature Estate & Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $413,000. First Command Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 41.7% in the 2nd quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 510 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 1.4% during the 2nd quarter. St. Johns Investment Management Company LLC now owns 5,068 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $794,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the period. Finally, Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.4% during the second quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 9,522 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,493,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock traded down $2.16 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $140.93. The stock had a trading volume of 2,022,959 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,988,594. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $150.85 and a 200 day simple moving average of $155.69. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $119.88 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.60 by $0.11. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 4.25%. The company had revenue of $34.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.97 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $5.40 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 12.86 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st will be given a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.04%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 21.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Mizuho raised shares of Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $165.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Argus cut Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 16th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.00.

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.