Groupama Asset Managment Increases Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Groupama Asset Managment grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 31.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 119,413 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 28,554 shares during the period. Groupama Asset Managment’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $16,124,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Triad Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $39,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $131.52 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $41.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.80, a PEG ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.40. 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 stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $136.98 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $144.23. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $120.21 and a 1 year high of $184.79.

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 the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.49 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 3.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Piper Sandler downgraded Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $169.00 to $123.00 in a research note on Friday, September 20th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Bank of America started coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $155.86.

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.