Centric Wealth Management Increases Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Centric Wealth Management lifted its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 11.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 13,759 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,431 shares during the quarter. Centric Wealth Management’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,932,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 93.6% in the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,373 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $958,000 after purchasing an additional 3,565 shares during the period. Machina Capital S.A.S. purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,322,000. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 54.4% during the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 46,301 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $6,019,000 after acquiring an additional 16,314 shares during the period. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $155,000. Finally, Evergreen Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Evergreen Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,279 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,206,000 after acquiring an additional 220 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.2 %

VLO stock traded up $0.35 on Wednesday, hitting $157.02. 1,675,901 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,231,894. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $105.49 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $163.69 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $142.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.59. The stock has a market cap of $51.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its 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. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.82% and a net margin of 5.01%. The firm had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $8.27 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 18.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $179.00 to $173.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Finally, Mizuho lowered Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $150.00 to $173.00 in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.40.

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.