Bellecapital International Ltd. Invests $618,000 in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• Bellecapital International Ltd. has invested $618,000 in Valero Energy Corporation, acquiring 4,594 shares during Q2, according to their recent SEC filing.
• Valero Energy reported $2.28 earnings per share for its latest quarter, surpassing analyst expectations of $1.66, despite a 13.3% year-over-year revenue decline.
• Analyst ratings for Valero Energy show a consensus of moderate buy with an average price target of $169.80, as several firms adjust their ratings and targets for the stock.

Bellecapital International Ltd. acquired a new position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 4,594 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $618,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 17.3% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 10,265 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,356,000 after acquiring an additional 1,516 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the first quarter worth $462,000. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 19.0% in the first quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 2,771 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $366,000 after buying an additional 443 shares during the last quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the first quarter worth $1,423,000. Finally, Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 42.3% in the first quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,544 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $336,000 after buying an additional 756 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $161.13 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $155.02 and a 200 day moving average of $138.51. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $99.00 and a 52-week high of $178.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 67.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.05.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The oil and gas company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.62. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 5.76% and a net margin of 0.62%.The business had revenue of $29.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.71 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on VLO shares. Raymond James Financial raised their target price on Valero Energy from $170.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 9th. Morgan Stanley lowered Valero Energy from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Barclays raised their price target on Valero Energy from $151.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Wolfe Research lowered Valero Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $169.80.

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.

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