Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. Invests $36,000 in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 278 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Greenleaf Trust increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 5,692 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $740,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 17.2% during the 4th quarter. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC now owns 6,206 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $807,000 after buying an additional 909 shares during the last quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,166 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $542,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. AIA Group Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $246,000. Finally, Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Oliver Lagore Vanvalin Investment Group now owns 4,034 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $524,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Mizuho lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $150.00 to $173.00 in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $161.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $173.63.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO opened at $163.89 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $158.54 and a two-hundred day moving average of $139.40. Valero Energy Co. has a 52-week low of $104.18 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $54.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.54.

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