Altshuler Shaham Ltd Trims Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Altshuler Shaham Ltd lowered its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 29.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 342 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 141 shares during the quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $44,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO traded up $0.40 on Wednesday, hitting $157.07. The company had a trading volume of 2,766,505 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,245,021. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $105.49 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The business has a 50 day moving average of $163.69 and a 200 day moving average of $142.19. The company has a market cap of $51.36 billion, a PE ratio of 7.78, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.64. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.82% and a net margin of 5.01%. The business had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.02 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $8.27 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 18.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on 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 raised Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $156.00 to $210.00 in a report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $179.00 to $173.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.