Wealthfront Advisers LLC Acquires 11,772 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Wealthfront Advisers LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 14.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 94,406 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 11,772 shares during the quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $24,587,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of VLO. Woodline Partners LP boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 26,747 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,532,000 after purchasing an additional 7,735 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 13.0% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,929 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter worth approximately $528,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in Valero Energy by 11.3% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 269,043 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $36,165,000 after buying an additional 27,291 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.9% during the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 145,810 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $19,600,000 after purchasing an additional 1,338 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

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 transaction of $2,011,275.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,294,212.14. This represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $338.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price 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. Wolfe Research reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $203.00 price target on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $292.00 to $356.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $259.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $288.00.

Key Valero Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Record diesel prices are creating an attractive margin environment for refiners. Valero is identified among the companies positioned to benefit as fuel prices diverge from crude oil prices, potentially supporting near-term profits. Diesel Prices Are Breaking Records: 3 Refiners Turning the Crisis Into Record Profits
• Positive Sentiment: Gasoline prices above $4 per gallon are supporting the outlook for refiners capable of capturing strong fuel margins. Valero was included among refining stocks viewed favorably in this environment. 4 Refining Stocks to Buy as Gas Prices Top $4 a Gallon
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts are raising earnings estimates for Valero, a trend that could provide additional support for the stock after its recent gains. Earnings Estimates Moving Higher for Valero Energy
• Positive Sentiment: VLO was added to multiple Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) lists, including value, growth and overall Strong Buy screens. These rankings may attract additional buying from quantitative and momentum-focused investors. New Strong Buy Stocks for August 17th
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually heavy put-option activity suggests some traders are positioning for downside or hedging existing holdings. Investors purchased 23,642 puts, about 179% above typical volume, but options activity alone does not establish a fundamental change in Valero’s outlook. Investors Purchase Large Volume of Put Options on Valero Energy

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO opened at $350.14 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $287.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $250.74. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $136.87 and a 1 year high of $351.00. 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 firm has a market cap of $100.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.53, a PEG ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.55.

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

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

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 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 payout ratio is presently 19.92%.

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.