Annex Advisory Services LLC Sells 2,813 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Annex Advisory Services LLC reduced its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 8.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,652 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 2,813 shares during the period. Annex Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $7,983,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.6% during the first quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 6,670 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,648,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. M.E. Allison & CO. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.8% in 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 holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.5% in 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 grew its position in Valero Energy by 32.9% during the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 206 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 4,810 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,253,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In related 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 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 trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy Stock Up 2.8%

NYSE:VLO opened at $323.81 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $279.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $245.19. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $131.52 and a 52-week high of $324.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.64. The company has a market cap of $93.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 0.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $44.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.47 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 26.74% and a net margin of 5.17%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 48.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.28 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 39.55 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.92%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on VLO. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $280.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Mizuho raised their target price on Valero Energy from $289.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Barclays lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $279.00 to $323.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $286.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective 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 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 given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $288.00.

About Valero Energy

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.