Cambridge Financial Group Inc. Takes $5.81 Million Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Cambridge Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 47,375 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,808,000. Valero Energy makes up 2.4% of Cambridge Financial Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 29th largest holding.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $669,400,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 valued at $4,257,024,000 after purchasing an additional 4,805,133 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Valero Energy by 4,908.0% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $384,907,000 after buying an additional 2,793,607 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $132,469,000. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 159.3% in the fourth quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 850,161 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $104,221,000 after acquiring an additional 522,233 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO opened at $131.43 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $133.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $133.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.40 billion, a PE ratio of 15.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. As a group, analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.44%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 53.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 7th. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $152.67.

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.