J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Sells 888 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. lessened its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 24.2% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 2,787 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 888 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $437,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EdgeRock Capital LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the second quarter worth $29,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at $33,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on VLO shares. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $171.36.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $135.85 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.48. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $146.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $155.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.40. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $119.88 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 21.01%. The firm had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.97 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.40 earnings per share. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 12.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 1st were given a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 21.20%.

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.