Vontobel Holding Ltd. Buys 487 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 19,564 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 487 shares during the quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,543,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Live Oak Investment Partners bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Quarry LP raised its position in Valero Energy by 1,676.9% in the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 231 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $162.49 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $158.12 and a 200-day moving average of $139.11. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $104.18 and a one year high of $184.79. The stock has a market cap of $54.02 billion, a PE ratio of 6.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.95 by $0.60. The firm had revenue of $35.41 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.76 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 6.10% and a return on equity of 31.62%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $8.45 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 17.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Mizuho lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price target for the company from $150.00 to $173.00 in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Raymond James increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $173.63.

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.