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

Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $154.57.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Barclays decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 target price for the company.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4,908.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $384,907,000 after acquiring an additional 2,793,607 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 11,318.9% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,076,349 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $145,339,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066,923 shares during the period. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its position in Valero Energy by 900.2% during the 3rd quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 631,095 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $85,217,000 after purchasing an additional 568,000 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Valero Energy by 18.8% in the third quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,585,166 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $484,105,000 after purchasing an additional 567,059 shares during the period. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at about $70,352,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.3 %

Valero Energy stock opened at $141.21 on Tuesday. Valero Energy has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The firm has a market cap of $44.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $131.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $138.48. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $7.49 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Valero Energy will post 7.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.39%.

About Valero Energy

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.