Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Bought by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 11.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 481,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 48,130 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 0.15% of Valero Energy worth $59,030,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Tobam acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth $38,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 122.0% during the fourth quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on VLO shares. Piper Sandler cut their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Scotiabank cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Raymond James reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $152.46.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $112.41 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $124.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $130.34. The stock has a market cap of $35.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $168.85.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. Analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

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.