Loomis Sayles & Co. L P Trims Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Loomis Sayles & Co. L P trimmed its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 12.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 766 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 110 shares during the period. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $103,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kennedy Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $206,000. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $253,000. Atria Investments Inc increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 43,442 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $7,415,000 after acquiring an additional 1,230 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in Valero Energy by 78.1% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 110,825 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $18,917,000 after acquiring an additional 48,613 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 242.2% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 41,165 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $7,026,000 after acquiring an additional 29,135 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.9 %

NYSE VLO opened at $138.56 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $120.21 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market capitalization of $43.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.39. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $136.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $145.47.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $7.49 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. TD Cowen cut their target price on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $155.86.

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.