Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC Purchases 2,010 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 22.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,819 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,010 shares during the quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,269,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Blair William & Co. IL increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.9% in the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 33,427 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,394,000 after purchasing an additional 632 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 21.7% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 100,006 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $10,163,000 after purchasing an additional 17,844 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 12.5% in the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 60,730 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $6,167,000 after purchasing an additional 6,735 shares during the last quarter. Prudential PLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at about $1,253,000. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 21.0% in the first quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 6,780 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $688,000 after purchasing an additional 1,179 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.07% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, Director Joseph W. Gorder sold 75,580 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.99, for a total transaction of $10,278,124.20. Following the transaction, the director now owns 621,872 shares in the company, valued at approximately $84,568,373.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $143.68 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $129.60 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $123.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.95, a P/E/G ratio of 1.00 and a beta of 1.66. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $97.73 and a 12-month high of $150.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 27th. The oil and gas company reported $5.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.08 by $0.32. The firm had revenue of $34.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.37 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 42.31% and a net margin of 6.96%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 33.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $11.36 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 24.41 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 3rd were paid a dividend of $1.02 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 2nd. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.84%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 14.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on VLO shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $113.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, September 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $171.00 in a research note on Friday, July 7th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $162.00 to $174.00 in a research note on Monday. Bank of America cut Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $152.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 15th. Finally, Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, July 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $153.44.

Valero Energy Profile

Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol. The company produces California Reformulated Gasoline Blendstock for Oxygenate Blending and Conventional Blendstock for Oxygenate Blending gasolines, CARB diesel, diesel, jet fuel, and asphalt; aromatics; and sulfur crude oils.