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

Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation, ten have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $156.29.

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered shares of Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $169.00 to $123.00 in a research note on Friday, September 20th.

Valero Energy Trading Up 5.0 %

NYSE VLO opened at $138.71 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $136.20 and its 200 day moving average is $147.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.44 billion, a PE ratio of 12.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 1.39. Valero Energy has a twelve month low of $119.88 and a twelve month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $7.49 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 9.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be issued a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.09%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 38.39%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in 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 buying an additional 1,066,923 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 37.6% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,558,750 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $266,040,000 after acquiring an additional 426,093 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 5.8% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,319,436 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $677,007,000 after purchasing an additional 237,347 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Valero Energy by 17.6% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,550,010 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $238,841,000 after purchasing an additional 232,494 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Westwood Holdings Group Inc. bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at about $39,517,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently 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.