Compass Financial Management LLC Invests $2.35 Million in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• Compass Financial Management initiated a $2.35 million position in Valero Energy during the second quarter by purchasing 8,760 shares. Institutional investors collectively own 78.69% of the company.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with Valero receiving a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $296.18, although targets ranged as high as $435.
• Valero reported second-quarter EPS of $12.54, exceeding estimates by $2.43, while revenue rose 48.8% year over year to $44.48 billion. The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, equivalent to a 1.3% annualized yield.

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

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.6% in the 1st 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 purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. M.E. Allison & CO. Inc. lifted its position 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 worth $239,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Ridgecrest Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5.0% during the 2nd quarter. Ridgecrest Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,054 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 975 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $159,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 32.9% during the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 206 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Valero Energy from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Raymond James Financial upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $286.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Piper Sandler raised their target price on Valero Energy from $329.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $296.18.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric Fisher sold 7,500 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,294,212.14. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $370.94 on Friday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $153.20 and a 12 month high of $375.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $106.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.39, a P/E/G ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The company's fifty day moving average price is $315.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $264.85.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.11 by $2.43. The company had revenue of $44.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.47 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.17% and a return on equity of 26.74%. Valero Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 48.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.28 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 41.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st were given a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is 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.

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