Narwhal Capital Management Sells 3,558 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Narwhal Capital Management reduced its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 49,304 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,558 shares during the quarter. Narwhal Capital Management’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $6,658,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Summit Securities Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO opened at $135.71 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $43.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.75, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $139.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $150.73. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $119.88 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.04.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 21.01%. The company had revenue of $34.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.97 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.40 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 9.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently commented on VLO. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 target price for the company. Barclays lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $146.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. Scotiabank cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $158.60.

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.