PGGM Investments Cuts Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

PGGM Investments cut its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 7.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 63,243 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 5,164 shares during the quarter. PGGM Investments’ holdings in Valero Energy were worth $8,222,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Marino Stram & Associates LLC increased its position in shares of 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 worth $1,090,000 after purchasing an additional 77 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.8% during the third 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 purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5.0% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Fulcrum Equity Management increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Fulcrum Equity Management now owns 8,806 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,145,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 40.3% during the third quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 303 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.8 %

VLO traded down $1.33 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $165.80. 2,065,193 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,618,982. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $161.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $140.68. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $104.18 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $55.13 billion, a PE ratio of 8.21, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.54.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results 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 24.95% and a net margin of 5.01%. The firm had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $8.27 EPS. Valero Energy’s revenue was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 18.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on VLO. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Mizuho lowered Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $150.00 to $173.00 in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Bank of America raised Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $156.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Friday, March 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $173.63.

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.