Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Position Increased by QRG Capital Management Inc.

QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 9.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 80,601 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,798 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $12,635,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Collective Family Office LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 1.5% in the first quarter. Collective Family Office LLC now owns 4,040 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $690,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,327 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Covenant Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Covenant Asset Management LLC now owns 14,659 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,502,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.1% during the first quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,797 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $990,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rovin Capital UT ADV grew its position in Valero Energy by 3.5% in the first quarter. Rovin Capital UT ADV now owns 1,968 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $336,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO traded down $0.53 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $151.08. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,568,123 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,042,393. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $119.88 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The stock has a market cap of $49.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.48, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $152.25 and a 200 day simple moving average of $154.94. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $34.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 21.01%. Valero Energy’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $5.40 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 13.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.83%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 21.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VLO. Mizuho raised Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $165.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Argus lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten 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 currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.