Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Increases Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 4.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 281,971 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 12,428 shares during the quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC owned about 0.08% of Valero Energy worth $36,656,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. JFG Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $234,000. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 25.8% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 12,576 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,635,000 after buying an additional 2,576 shares during the period. Essex Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 21.9% in the fourth quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 3,033 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $394,000 after acquiring an additional 544 shares during the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Valero Energy by 36.0% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 853,484 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $110,953,000 after acquiring an additional 225,923 shares during the period. Finally, Cannell & Co. increased its stake in Valero Energy by 13.3% during the fourth quarter. Cannell & Co. now owns 1,700 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $221,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $156.84 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $163.15 and its 200 day moving average price is $141.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.15 billion, a PE ratio of 7.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.59. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $104.18 and a one year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.64. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.82% and a net margin of 5.01%. The company had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $8.27 EPS. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 18.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on VLO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $179.00 to $173.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $161.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.40.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, Mexico, Peru, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol.