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

Compass Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 8,760 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,346,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its position in Valero Energy by 3,400.0% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake 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 period. Finally, Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $349.27 on Friday. 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $292.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $253.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $100.57 billion, a PE ratio of 14.49, a P/E/G ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.55. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $140.13 and a 1 year high of $352.70.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.11 by $2.43. The firm had revenue of $44.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.47 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 26.74% and a net margin of 5.17%.The firm’s revenue was up 48.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.28 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 40.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.92%.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. 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. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and set a $329.00 price objective on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $338.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $289.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of 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, eleven have issued a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $288.00.

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.