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

Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have issued a hold recommendation, eleven have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $156.08.

Several research firms recently issued reports on VLO. Piper Sandler cut their target price on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Mizuho cut their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Tudor Pickering upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Tobam bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $123.05 on Wednesday. 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $132.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $134.06. The stock has a market cap of $38.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.51, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. Valero Energy has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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%. On average, analysts expect that Valero Energy will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.67%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.