Natixis Advisors LLC Reduces Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Natixis Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 10.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 158,234 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 18,197 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $19,398,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 123,356 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $14,751,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares during the period. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $1,226,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,897,000 after purchasing an additional 1,937 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $274,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 7.5% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 89,762 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $12,121,000 after purchasing an additional 6,278 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of VLO stock opened at $131.97 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company has a market cap of $41.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.56, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $133.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $133.58. Valero Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.43%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on VLO shares. Piper Sandler decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.08.

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.