Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation, ten have assigned a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $154.46.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on VLO shares. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 4,908.0% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,850,526 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $384,907,000 after buying an additional 2,793,607 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $132,469,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 11,318.9% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,076,349 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $145,339,000 after purchasing an additional 1,066,923 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 900.2% during the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 631,095 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $85,217,000 after acquiring an additional 568,000 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 18.8% during the 3rd 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $133.05 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $130.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $137.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.12 billion, a PE ratio of 15.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. As a group, analysts expect that Valero Energy will post 8.29 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.40%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.30%.

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.