Compass Wealth Management LLC Acquires Shares of 2,277 Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm acquired 2,277 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $593,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 0.6% during the first quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 6,670 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,648,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. M.E. Allison & CO. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.8% during the 2nd quarter. M.E. Allison & CO. Inc. now owns 916 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $239,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Ridgecrest Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5.0% during the second quarter. Ridgecrest Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,054 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $275,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 975 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $159,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 32.9% during the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 206 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,294,212.14. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Valero Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Valero Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Record diesel prices are creating an attractive margin environment for refiners. Valero is identified among the companies positioned to benefit as fuel prices diverge from crude oil prices, potentially supporting near-term profits. Diesel Prices Are Breaking Records: 3 Refiners Turning the Crisis Into Record Profits
• Positive Sentiment: Gasoline prices above $4 per gallon are supporting the outlook for refiners capable of capturing strong fuel margins. Valero was included among refining stocks viewed favorably in this environment. 4 Refining Stocks to Buy as Gas Prices Top $4 a Gallon
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are raising earnings estimates for Valero, a trend that could provide additional support for the stock after its recent gains. Earnings Estimates Moving Higher for Valero Energy
• Positive Sentiment: VLO was added to multiple Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) lists, including value, growth and overall Strong Buy screens. These rankings may attract additional buying from quantitative and momentum-focused investors. New Strong Buy Stocks for August 17th
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually heavy put-option activity suggests some traders are positioning for downside or hedging existing holdings. Investors purchased 23,642 puts, about 179% above typical volume, but options activity alone does not establish a fundamental change in Valero’s outlook. Investors Purchase Large Volume of Put Options on Valero Energy

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $292.00 to $356.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Jefferies Financial Group set a $350.00 price target on Valero Energy in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $259.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Valero Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $288.00.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.9%

VLO opened at $350.14 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $100.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.53, a P/E/G ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.55. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $287.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $250.74. Valero Energy Corporation has a one year low of $136.87 and a one year high of $351.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.64.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.11 by $2.43. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 26.74% and a net margin of 5.17%.The firm had revenue of $44.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.28 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 48.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 40.62 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.