Swiss National Bank Sells 58,700 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Swiss National Bank lessened its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 5.0% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 1,104,200 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 58,700 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $143,546,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Marino Stram & Associates LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Marino Stram & Associates LLC now owns 8,384 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,090,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares during the period. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 10,000 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,417,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 1,690 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $220,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Fulcrum Equity Management grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Fulcrum Equity Management now owns 8,806 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,145,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 40.3% during the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 303 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $156.84 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $162.85 and its 200 day moving average is $141.50. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $104.18 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The company has a market cap of $52.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.77, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.64. The business had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. The company’s revenue was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $8.27 EPS. Research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 18.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group raised their price target on Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $156.00 to $210.00 in a report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.40.

Valero Energy 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.