Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Acquired by Hancock Whitney Corp

Hancock Whitney Corp grew its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 531.5% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 54,754 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 46,084 shares during the quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $8,583,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of VLO. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 37.6% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,558,750 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $266,040,000 after acquiring an additional 426,093 shares during the period. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 721.4% during the fourth quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 337,911 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $43,927,000 after purchasing an additional 296,771 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.8% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,319,436 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $677,007,000 after purchasing an additional 237,347 shares during the period. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter worth $39,517,000. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 20.5% during the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 1,145,117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $179,490,000 after purchasing an additional 194,974 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Trading Down 3.1 %

Shares of VLO stock opened at $134.39 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $119.88 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The stock has a market cap of $43.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.40. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $145.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $155.06. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $34.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 4.25%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.40 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 12.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st were paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.18%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently weighed in on VLO. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Mizuho decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $169.00 to $123.00 in a research report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $168.07.

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.