Journey Advisory Group LLC Has $6.97 Million Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Journey Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 23.5% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 26,775 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,099 shares during the quarter. Journey Advisory Group LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $6,973,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised 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 buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. M.E. Allison & CO. Inc. boosted 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 acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 975 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $159,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 32.9% in the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 206 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 1.1% in the second quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 4,810 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,253,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on VLO. Citigroup upped their target price on Valero Energy from $259.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $286.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $292.00 to $356.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $280.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $288.00.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $341.36 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $283.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $247.97. The stock has a market cap of $98.29 billion, a PE ratio of 14.16, a PEG ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.64. Valero Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $135.01 and a fifty-two week high of $346.09.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.11 by $2.43. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 26.74% and a net margin of 5.17%.The company had revenue of $44.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $39.47 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.28 EPS. Valero Energy’s revenue was up 48.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be given a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.92%.

Valero Energy 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.