Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. Has $9.17 Million Stock Position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO)

Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 3.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 69,425 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,065 shares during the quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $9,169,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $52,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $58,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the subject of several research reports. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. They issued an “in-line” rating and a $135.00 target price for the company. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $121.00 to $118.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $150.88.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $135.72 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $126.78 and a 200-day moving average of $127.67. The firm has a market cap of $42.51 billion, a PE ratio of 47.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.56. Valero Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $99.00 and a twelve month high of $167.78.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.27). Valero Energy had a return on equity of 6.30% and a net margin of 0.72%. The company had revenue of $28.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.54 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.82 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th were given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.33%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 159.72%.

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.