Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Given Average Recommendation of “Buy” by Brokerages

Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Buy” by the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, thirteen have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $151.93.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. TD Cowen cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $121.00 to $118.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Raymond James lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. UBS Group cut their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 24th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 12.4% in the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 2,367 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $313,000 after purchasing an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $15,994,000. Jacobi Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 15,876 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,097,000 after acquiring an additional 624 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.6% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 103,364 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $13,644,000 after acquiring an additional 2,609 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 21,346 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,819,000 after acquiring an additional 519 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $133.53 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. Valero Energy has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $167.78. The firm has a market cap of $41.82 billion, a PE ratio of 15.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.99. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $121.69 and its 200-day moving average is $127.60.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.27). Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. The company had revenue of $28.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.54 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.82 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be given a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 20th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 159.72%.

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.