Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Receives $155.83 Average PT from Analysts

Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $165.69.

VLO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Mizuho cut Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $150.00 to $173.00 in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Bank of America raised Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $156.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Raymond James increased their target price on Valero Energy from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. UBS Group increased their target price on Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Live Oak Investment Partners purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Quarry LP grew its position in Valero Energy by 1,676.9% during the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 231 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $167.25 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $55.61 billion, a PE ratio of 6.76, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.56, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy has a twelve month low of $104.18 and a twelve month high of $172.46. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $144.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $135.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.95 by $0.60. The business had revenue of $35.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.76 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 31.62% and a net margin of 6.10%. The company’s revenue was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $8.45 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy will post 15.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 1st were given a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 31st. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.56%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 17.31%.

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.