Foster & Motley Inc. Buys 1,758 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Foster & Motley Inc. boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 15.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,781 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,758 shares during the period. Foster & Motley Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,662,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $164.59 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.56 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm has a market cap of $54.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.54. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $159.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $139.68. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $104.18 and a one year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.95 by $0.60. The business had revenue of $35.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.76 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 6.10% and a return on equity of 31.62%. Valero Energy’s revenue was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $8.45 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 18.25 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on VLO. Citigroup increased their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $179.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Bank of America raised shares of Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $156.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Friday, March 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted 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. Finally, Mizuho downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the company from $150.00 to $173.00 in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.