Everhart Financial Group Inc. Acquires 71 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Everhart Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 5.5% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 1,366 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the quarter. Everhart Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $214,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Lynx Investment Advisory purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter worth $33,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at $33,000. First Foundation Advisors purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $37,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $39,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO stock traded up $2.44 during trading on Friday, reaching $145.87. The stock had a trading volume of 1,521,457 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,995,965. The firm has a market cap of $46.73 billion, a PE ratio of 7.22, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $151.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $155.46. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $119.88 and a 52 week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.60 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $34.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 21.01%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $5.40 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 13.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on VLO. Mizuho upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $165.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Valero Energy from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. StockNews.com cut Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.00.

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.