Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd Decreases Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd cut its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 10.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,726 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 334 shares during the quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $427,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory bought a new position in Valero Energy in the second quarter worth about $29,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the first quarter worth $33,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of VLO opened at $133.74 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $43.73 billion, a PE ratio of 6.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.40. Valero Energy Co. has a 12 month low of $119.88 and a 12 month high of $184.79. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $146.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $155.43. 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 (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.60 by $0.11. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 4.25%. The firm had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.40 earnings per share. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 12.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st were paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 21.20%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Wolfe Research started coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $172.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $171.36.

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.