Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Acquires 4,338 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 134,908 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,338 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $18,217,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. M&G Plc purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,963,000. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $87,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its position in Valero Energy by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 19,449 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,049,000 after purchasing an additional 732 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,129 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $647,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the period. Finally, 180 Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $535,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of a number of research reports. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of 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 reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Barclays cut their price target on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Scotiabank cut their target price on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $155.50.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $132.34 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $136.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $144.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The stock has a market cap of $41.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.40. Valero Energy Co. has a one year low of $120.21 and a one year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $7.49 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.89 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

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 issued a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.23%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 38.39%.

Valero Energy Company 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.