Cetera Investment Advisers Sells 6,639 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Cetera Investment Advisers lessened its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 6.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 97,847 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 6,639 shares during the quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers’ holdings in Valero Energy were worth $13,153,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Hoey Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. GFG Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 1,277.8% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 248 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management boosted its position in Valero Energy by 39.9% during the first quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ransom Advisory Ltd bought a new position in Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Down 2.8%

NYSE VLO opened at $180.23 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $54.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.63, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.01. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $185.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a 50 day moving average of $168.09 and a 200-day moving average of $148.96.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.15 by $0.51. The firm had revenue of $32.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.80 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 8.69% and a net margin of 1.21%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.14 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 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 Thursday, December 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 94.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $195.00 price objective (up previously from $181.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Erste Group Bank began coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Monday, November 10th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Bank of America upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $152.00 to $179.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $181.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $201.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $182.00.

About Valero Energy

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.