Wesbanco Bank Inc. Makes New Investment in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Wesbanco Bank Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 5,896 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $1,006,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO traded down $0.50 on Friday, hitting $156.84. 2,356,803 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,689,989. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $104.18 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $163.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $141.69. The company has a market cap of $52.15 billion, a PE ratio of 7.77, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.64. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.82% and a net margin of 5.01%. The firm had revenue of $31.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.02 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $8.27 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 18.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Barclays dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $179.00 to $173.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America upgraded Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their target price for the company from $156.00 to $210.00 in a report on Friday, March 15th. Raymond James upped their target price on Valero Energy from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Valero Energy from $161.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $174.40.

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.

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