Hancock Whitney Corp Has $6.14 Million Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• Hancock Whitney Corp increased its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 8.9%, owning 46,474 shares valued at approximately $6.14 million as of the latest reporting period.
• Valero Energy reported $2.28 earnings per share for the latest quarter, exceeding expectations of $1.66, although revenue decreased by 13.3% year-over-year.
• Analysts have raised their price targets for Valero Energy, with a consensus target of $156.40, indicating a generally positive outlook for the stock.

Hancock Whitney Corp increased its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 8.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 46,474 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 3,790 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $6,138,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in VLO. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 57.3% during the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 8,783 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,077,000 after buying an additional 3,198 shares in the last quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 19.3% in the 4th quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 1,950 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $239,000 after acquiring an additional 315 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $181,000. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 47.1% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 132,078 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $16,191,000 after purchasing an additional 42,316 shares during the period. Finally, Crestline Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $585,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on VLO. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $164.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $159.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Barclays boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $152.00 to $179.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $156.40.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO opened at $155.37 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $142.63 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $131.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.26 billion, a PE ratio of 64.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 1.10. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $159.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.62.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The oil and gas company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.62. Valero Energy had a net margin of 0.62% and a return on equity of 5.76%. The company had revenue of $29.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $27 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.71 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were paid a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, July 31st. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 188.33%.

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.

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