Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the fifteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation, ten have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $155.07.

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Piper Sandler cut shares of Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $169.00 to $123.00 in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target 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.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $118.84 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $133.91 and a 200-day moving average price of $141.78. The firm has a market cap of $37.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.66, a PEG ratio of 2.43 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. Valero Energy has a 1 year low of $116.84 and a 1 year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.49 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 8.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were issued a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.60%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 38.39%.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VLO. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter worth $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

About Valero Energy

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.