Sigma Planning Corp Lowers Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Sigma Planning Corp lowered its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 62.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,992 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 6,632 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $519,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $36,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at about $42,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 8th. Raymond James upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. One 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $173.63.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO opened at $167.13 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $55.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.76, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.54. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $104.18 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The business has a fifty day moving average of $160.54 and a 200 day moving average of $140.34.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.95 by $0.60. Valero Energy had a net margin of 6.10% and a return on equity of 31.62%. The business had revenue of $35.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.76 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $8.45 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 18.31 EPS for the current year.

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.