MML Investors Services LLC Reduces Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

MML Investors Services LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 8.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 39,426 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 3,820 shares during the period. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $4,833,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Valero Energy by 16.1% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 34,725,700 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $4,257,024,000 after buying an additional 4,805,133 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Valero Energy by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,701,232 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,311,864,000 after acquiring an additional 413,963 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 6,871,229 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $844,775,000 after acquiring an additional 100,248 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $669,400,000. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,759,172 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $583,427,000 after buying an additional 71,587 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on VLO. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Raymond James dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $149.80.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Valero Energy stock traded up $0.82 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $115.57. 1,428,545 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,004,521. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $122.65 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $129.52. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $99.00 and a twelve month high of $168.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The firm has a market cap of $36.40 billion, a PE ratio of 13.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.17.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.27). Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. The business had revenue of $28.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.54 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.82 EPS. Valero Energy's revenue was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Valero Energy

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.