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

Shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $187.6667.

Several equities analysts recently commented on VLO shares. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Zacks Research lowered Valero Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $216.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Tuesday, January 6th.

Insider Activity

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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 134,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,352,787.92. This trade represents a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 70.2% in the third quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. AXS Investments LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO opened at $197.16 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $180.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $168.47. Valero Energy has a twelve month low of $99.00 and a twelve month high of $206.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a market capitalization of $60.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.81, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.77.

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

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company 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. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 5th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 62.83%.

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.