Journey Advisory Group LLC Buys 4,098 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• Journey Advisory Group LLC increased its Valero Energy stake by 23.3% in the first quarter, buying 4,098 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 21,676 shares valued at about $5.36 million.
• Institutional ownership in Valero remains very high, with 78.69% of the stock held by hedge funds and other institutions. Several other investors also boosted their positions during recent quarters.
• Valero has seen a mix of bullish and cautious signals: analysts lifted price targets after strong earnings and the stock hit a 52-week high, but the overall consensus remains only Moderate Buy with a market average price target of $253.06.

Journey Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 23.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 21,676 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after buying an additional 4,098 shares during the period. Journey Advisory Group LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $5,356,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 33.5% during the fourth quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 42,376 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $6,898,000 after buying an additional 10,634 shares during the period. Friedenthal Financial bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $954,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 359.0% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 14,243 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $2,319,000 after acquiring an additional 11,140 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 24.7% in the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 565,171 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $92,004,000 after acquiring an additional 112,118 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 51.3% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 92,328 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $14,938,000 after acquiring an additional 31,296 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Valero Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment improved after Citigroup raised its price target on Valero Energy from $259 to $302 while keeping a neutral rating, and the stock also hit a new 52-week high after the upgrade.
• Positive Sentiment: Recent reports say Valero shares may keep rising because earnings estimate revisions have turned more favorable, which often supports short-term upside for the stock. Can Valero Energy (VLO) Run Higher on Rising Earnings Estimates?
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum-focused coverage noted that Valero is up strongly over the past week, reinforcing the view that traders are rotating into the name. Valero Energy (VLO) Is Up 4.83% in One Week: What You Should Know
• Positive Sentiment: One article described Valero as a top-ranked value stock, which may help attract value-oriented investors looking for relatively cheap energy names. Valero Energy (VLO) is a Top-Ranked Value Stock: Should You Buy?
• Neutral Sentiment: Valero’s recent earnings results were already strong, with revenue and EPS beating expectations, but that data is not new; it mainly continues to support the bullish narrative.
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusual call-option activity suggests traders are positioning for more upside, but it does not confirm a fundamental change in the business.
• Negative Sentiment: Citigroup still rates the stock only “neutral,” so despite the higher target, the broader analyst view is not fully bullish.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VLO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $259.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Valero Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 22nd. Raymond James Financial increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $253.06.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total value of $2,011,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,294,212.14. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Valero Energy Stock Down 2.7%

Valero Energy stock opened at $293.27 on Thursday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $130.78 and a 1-year high of $301.43. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $256.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $227.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $87.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.31, a PEG ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The company had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.89 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 32.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is 34.88%.

Valero Energy Company Profile

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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