Savvy Advisors Inc. Makes New $338,000 Investment in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Savvy Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 2,756 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $338,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $3,249,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 18.1% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 679 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $92,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the period. Anchor Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 13.1% in the third quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 11,820 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,596,000 after buying an additional 1,370 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 34.7% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,245 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $573,000 after acquiring an additional 1,093 shares during the period. Finally, Arvest Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $7,609,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Up 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE VLO traded up $2.85 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $109.98. The company had a trading volume of 2,662,747 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,990,565. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $168.85. The company has a market capitalization of $34.64 billion, a PE ratio of 12.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $125.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $131.02.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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%. On average, analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently issued reports on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Raymond James lowered 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. Scotiabank cut their target price on Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Finally, Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $152.46.

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.