Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target Raised to $212.00 at Citigroup

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its price objective lifted by Citigroup from $190.00 to $212.00 in a research note released on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (up from $181.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Argus upgraded shares of Valero Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. TD Cowen raised their price target on Valero Energy from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Barclays upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $169.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $187.67.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $201.43 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.37, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.77. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $177.52 and its 200-day moving average is $165.96. Valero Energy has a 1 year low of $99.00 and a 1 year high of $204.14.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.55. The firm had revenue of $30.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.20 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 12.34%. Valero Energy’s revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.64 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 5th will be paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 5th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 62.83%.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In other 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 sale, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Arista Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 56.1% in the fourth quarter. Arista Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,562 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $905,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,991 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,789,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC lifted its position in Valero Energy by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 25,972 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,228,000 after acquiring an additional 1,267 shares in the last quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. lifted its position in Valero Energy by 263.9% in the 4th quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 34,151 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $5,559,000 after acquiring an additional 24,765 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Integrity Alliance LLC. acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $1,039,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company’s operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.