Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target Raised to $261.00

by · The Markets Daily

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO – Free Report) had its price target lifted by Barclays from $184.00 to $261.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently issued reports on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Valero Energy from $220.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Zacks Research downgraded Valero Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, April 4th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Valero Energy from $215.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $227.73.

Check Out Our Latest Research Report on VLO

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $238.94 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $71.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.27, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.62. The business’s 50 day moving average is $221.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $189.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Valero Energy has a 12-month low of $106.11 and a 12-month high of $258.43.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $30.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.20 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 12.35% and a net margin of 1.91%.Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.64 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Valero Energy will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 5th were given a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 5th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.83%.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.60, for a total value of $95,440.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. AXS Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 157.0% in the fourth quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 203 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Valero Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Valero Energy this week:

Valero Energy Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

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