Family Firm Inc. Takes $116,000 Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 738 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $116,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VLO. Lynx Investment Advisory bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. First Foundation Advisors bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of VLO stock traded up $2.44 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $145.87. The company had a trading volume of 1,523,954 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,482,840. The company has a market cap of $47.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.42. 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 12 month low of $119.88 and a 12 month high of $184.79. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $151.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $155.46.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $5.40 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 12.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 1st will be given a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.93%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 21.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price target on the stock. Argus downgraded Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 16th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Valero Energy from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.00.

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.