Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Stock Position Reduced by Los Angeles Capital Management LLC

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 43.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 168,994 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 128,562 shares during the quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $21,969,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $42,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Mizuho lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $150.00 to $173.00 in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.40.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.3 %

VLO stock traded down $0.50 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $156.84. The company had a trading volume of 2,356,803 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,689,989. 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 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market capitalization of $52.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.77, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a 50 day moving average of $162.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $141.50.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.64. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. The company had revenue of $31.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.02 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $8.27 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 18.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Valero Energy

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.