QRG Capital Management Inc. Purchases 8,873 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO)

QRG Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 10.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 94,007 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 8,873 shares during the period. QRG Capital Management Inc.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $12,416,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $669,400,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 16.1% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,725,700 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $4,257,024,000 after purchasing an additional 4,805,133 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 15,395.5% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,355,699 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $179,047,000 after purchasing an additional 1,346,950 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $132,469,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $98,376,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the topic of several recent research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Barclays upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $144.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $150.88.

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:VLO traded down $2.35 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $139.42. The stock had a trading volume of 2,872,485 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,048,959. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.56. The company has a market cap of $43.67 billion, a PE ratio of 49.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.99. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $99.00 and a 12-month high of $167.78. The company's 50 day moving average is $123.43 and its 200-day moving average is $127.50.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.27). The company had revenue of $28.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $28.54 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 6.30% and a net margin of 0.72%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.82 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.24%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.