Natixis Advisors L.P. Increases Stake in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Natixis Advisors L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 0.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 146,761 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 231 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $19,078,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Authentikos Wealth Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on VLO. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Mizuho cut Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $150.00 to $173.00 in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Barclays decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $179.00 to $173.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 30th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $174.40.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $156.84 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.77, a PEG ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 1.55. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $163.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $141.82. Valero Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $104.18 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.64. The company had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.82% and a net margin of 5.01%. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $8.27 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 18.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.