Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.

Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A. reduced its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 8.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 103,789 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 9,969 shares during the quarter. Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $12,715,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $669,400,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Valero Energy by 16.1% during the 4th 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 acquiring an additional 4,805,133 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $132,469,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in Valero Energy by 22.5% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,864,418 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $351,151,000 after buying an additional 525,255 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. raised its position in Valero Energy by 159.3% during the 4th quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 850,161 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $104,221,000 after buying an additional 522,233 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Raymond James dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target 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. Mizuho dropped their target price 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, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $149.80.

Valero Energy Stock Down 2.1 %

VLO stock traded down $2.40 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $113.12. 788,643 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,000,186. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $122.18 and a 200-day moving average price of $129.42. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $99.00 and a 12-month high of $167.78.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. The firm had revenue of $28.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.54 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.82 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current 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.