Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $84.77 Million Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Russell Investments Group Ltd. cut its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 6.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 652,003 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 41,636 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $84,769,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of VLO. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at $28,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $36,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Finally, Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at $42,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Raymond James upped their price target on Valero Energy from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Mizuho lowered Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the company from $150.00 to $173.00 in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $156.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Friday, March 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $173.63.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of VLO traded down $1.33 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $165.80. 2,065,193 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,618,982. The company has a market cap of $55.13 billion, a PE ratio of 8.21, a PEG ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.54. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $161.07 and its 200-day moving average is $140.68. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $104.18 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.56.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.64. The company had revenue of $31.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.95% and a net margin of 5.01%. The firm’s revenue was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $8.27 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 18.37 EPS 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.