B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Purchases 4,623 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG increased its stake in Valero by 16.2%, buying 4,623 shares to hold 33,189 shares valued at about $5.403 million.
• Several analysts have raised price targets and ratings (Wells Fargo to $292, UBS to $280, Piper Sandler to $263, Scotiabank to $226) and Zacks upgraded VLO to strong-buy, citing a setup for an earnings beat after Valero topped Q4 EPS estimates ($3.82 vs. $3.27).

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 16.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,189 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after buying an additional 4,623 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $5,403,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Cypress Capital Management LLC WY bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 145.3% during the 3rd quarter. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 211 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc increased its position in Valero Energy by 194.4% during the 4th quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc now owns 212 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Valero Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Valero Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded VLO from "hold" to "strong-buy", a near-term catalyst that can attract momentum buyers and support the share price. Zacks.com
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks previews predict Valero has the setup for an earnings beat next week, citing the right mix of consensus trends and company drivers — this raises the odds of an upside surprise at the report. Valero Energy (VLO) Earnings Expected to Grow
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks has added VLO to momentum/strong-buy lists, signaling institutional and retail interest that may boost demand into earnings. Best Momentum Stocks to Buy for April 22nd
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces note VLO is a "trending" stock among retail users — increased attention can amplify moves but is not a directional fundamental driver by itself. Valero Energy Corporation (VLO) Is a Trending Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank raised its price target from $178 to $226 and moved to "sector outperform" — a material raise in analyst conviction even though the new target sits near current levels. Scotiabank raises target
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research reiterated an "Underperform" rating, which could cap upside or pressure sentiment among more cautious investors ahead of the print. Wolfe Research Reiterates Underperform

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $220.00 to $292.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $236.00 to $263.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $215.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $228.18.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $233.82 on Friday. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $227.84 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $193.43. The company has a market cap of $69.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.61, a PEG ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $110.00 and a 12-month high of $258.43.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.55. The firm had revenue of $30.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.20 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 12.35%. The company's revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 19.03 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.60, for a total value of $95,440.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company's operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.

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