Compass Financial Management LLC Takes Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Compass Financial Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 8,760 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,346,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Woodline Partners LP raised its stake in Valero Energy by 40.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 26,747 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,532,000 after purchasing an additional 7,735 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 13.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,929 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $528,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 11.3% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 269,043 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $36,165,000 after acquiring an additional 27,291 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 0.9% in the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 145,810 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $19,600,000 after acquiring an additional 1,338 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total transaction of $2,011,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at $5,294,212.14. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on VLO. Citigroup raised their target price on Valero Energy from $259.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Barclays upped their price target on Valero Energy from $279.00 to $323.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Mizuho increased their price target on Valero Energy from $289.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Zacks Research raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $288.00.

Valero Energy Stock Up 2.3%

Valero Energy stock opened at $349.27 on Friday. Valero Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $140.13 and a fifty-two week high of $352.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.64. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $292.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $253.69. The company has a market capitalization of $100.57 billion, a PE ratio of 14.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.11 by $2.43. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 26.74% and a net margin of 5.17%.The company had revenue of $44.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.28 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 48.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 40.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 19.92%.

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company’s operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.