Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Bought by Geneva Partners LLC

Geneva Partners LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 19.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 26,122 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,172 shares during the quarter. Valero Energy makes up approximately 1.8% of Geneva Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Geneva Partners LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $6,803,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 3,400.0% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 134.0% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.2%

Valero Energy stock opened at $345.99 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $99.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.36, a PEG ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.55. 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 company’s 50-day moving average price is $289.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $251.90. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $137.88 and a 52 week high of $351.00.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.11 by $2.43. The company had revenue of $44.48 billion for 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 was up 48.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.28 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 40.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup upped their price target on Valero Energy from $259.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $289.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $280.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $279.00 to $323.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $288.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total value 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 $5,294,212.14. This represents a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.