Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

by · The Markets Daily

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO – Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $183.20.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $195.00 price target (up from $181.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Friday, October 24th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target 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, Mizuho reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $192.00 price objective (up previously from $190.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Friday, December 12th.

Check Out Our Latest Report on VLO

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total value of $1,728,540.66. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 134,196 shares in the company, valued at $23,352,787.92. The trade was a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 70.2% during the third quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Cypress Capital Management LLC WY purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $165.31 on Tuesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $171.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $157.91. The firm has a market cap of $50.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.51, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.60. Valero Energy has a one year low of $99.00 and a one year high of $185.62.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.51. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 8.69% and a net margin of 1.21%.The business had revenue of $32.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.14 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Valero Energy will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 20th were given a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 94.36%.

About Valero Energy

(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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