Ceredex Value Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 277,050 Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Ceredex Value Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 277,050 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $33,964,000. Ceredex Value Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.09% of Valero Energy at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of VLO. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Tobam bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Creative Capital Management Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 122.0% in the fourth quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 333 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Scotiabank lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 11th. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $152.46.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE VLO traded up $2.85 on Friday, reaching $109.98. 2,662,747 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,990,067. The firm has a market cap of $34.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.17. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $99.00 and a fifty-two week high of $168.85. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $125.26 and a 200-day moving average price of $130.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. Equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Company 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.