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

Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation, ten have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $172.00.

A number of research firms recently weighed in on VLO. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 14th. StockNews.com lowered Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 23rd. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $184.00 to $179.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 6th.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.3 %

VLO opened at $154.04 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $50.37 billion, a PE ratio of 7.63, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The business has a 50 day moving average of $157.66 and a 200-day moving average of $149.83. Valero Energy has a 52 week low of $112.16 and a 52 week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.64. The company had revenue of $31.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.82% and a net margin of 5.01%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $8.27 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 17.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 30th will be given a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 30th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.78%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 21.20%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total value of $113,846.40. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,105,209.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. First Foundation Advisors bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $37,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $39,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Company Profile

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.