New Century Financial Group LLC Buys New Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

New Century Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 1,627 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $255,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. MGO One Seven LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 198.8% in the 4th quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 16,605 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,159,000 after buying an additional 11,047 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at $15,945,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 62.2% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 13,586 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,766,000 after acquiring an additional 5,209 shares during the period. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $535,000. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 223.1% in the 1st quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 10,796 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,843,000 after purchasing an additional 7,455 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $135.61 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $143.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $154.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.34 billion, a PE ratio of 6.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.04. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 4.25%. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $5.40 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 10.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st were given a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.16%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 21.20%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on VLO shares. Barclays lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $146.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, StockNews.com cut Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $165.21.

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.