Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Shares Sold by Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lessened its stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 132,969 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 1,939 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $16,301,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Segment Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,947 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $606,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Silver Coast Investments LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Silver Coast Investments LLC now owns 5,070 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $622,000 after buying an additional 83 shares during the period. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. raised its position in Valero Energy by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Patrick M Sweeney & Associates Inc. now owns 4,687 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $575,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,514 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $186,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. Finally, Providence Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,878 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,086,000 after acquiring an additional 94 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $131.43 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The company has a market capitalization of $41.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.50, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $133.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $133.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. On average, analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.44%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.30%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on VLO shares. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $152.67.

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.