Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Boosts Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 31.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 11,064 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 2,634 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,439,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $38,000. Finally, Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $179.00 to $173.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 29th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $174.40.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $156.84 on Monday. 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 12 month low of $104.18 and a 12 month high of $184.79. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $163.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $141.82. The firm has a market cap of $51.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.64. The firm had revenue of $31.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. The company’s revenue was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $8.27 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 18.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.