Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the nineteen research firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have given a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $182.00.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on VLO shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $169.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $166.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Bank of America upgraded Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $152.00 to $179.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO opened at $174.88 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $170.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $152.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Valero Energy has a 1 year low of $99.00 and a 1 year high of $185.62. The stock has a market cap of $53.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.51, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.76.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.51. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.21% and a return on equity of 8.69%. The firm had revenue of $32.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.14 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 94.36%.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In related news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total transaction of $1,728,540.66. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 134,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,352,787.92. This trade represents a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Blair William & Co. IL raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 39,746 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $5,249,000 after buying an additional 950 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 88.0% during the first quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 393 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 184 shares in the last quarter. Associated Banc Corp purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth $219,000. Wealthspire Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 21.4% in the first quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 11,838 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,563,000 after acquiring an additional 2,085 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 12.0% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,881,222 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $5,135,043,000 after acquiring an additional 4,155,522 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.