GAMMA Investing LLC Makes New Investment in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

GAMMA Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 4,118 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $572,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,961,603 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,269,949,000 after acquiring an additional 517,068 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in Valero Energy by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,899,875 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $552,651,000 after buying an additional 121,057 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,788,994 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $362,569,000 after purchasing an additional 342,218 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 7.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,025,956 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $287,098,000 after purchasing an additional 133,689 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 2,013,205 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $285,291,000 after purchasing an additional 122,252 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO traded down $1.01 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $166.53. 960,254 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,289,295. The firm has a market cap of $55.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.54. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $159.52 and its 200 day moving average is $139.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $104.18 and a one year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarterly revenue was down 15.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $8.45 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 18.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $161.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Barclays boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $179.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 8th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.