EP Wealth Advisors LLC Raises Holdings in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 2.3% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 229,679 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,108 shares during the quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $59,818,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of VLO. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 3,400.0% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 134.0% during the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth $33,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Up 2.3%

VLO stock opened at $349.27 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $292.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $253.69. The company has a market capitalization of $100.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.49, a PEG ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.55. Valero Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $140.13 and a twelve month high of $352.70.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.17% and a return on equity of 26.74%. The firm had revenue of $44.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $39.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.28 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 48.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 40.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The shares were 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 approximately $5,294,212.14. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on VLO shares. Mizuho raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $289.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $259.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $286.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $338.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded 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 given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $288.00.

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.