Brokerages Set Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Target Price at $172.00

Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $171.47.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. Argus lowered Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 18th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $184.00 to $179.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 6th.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $158.50 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.42. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $156.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $150.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.10. Valero Energy has a 1 year low of $112.16 and a 1 year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.64. The business had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. The company’s revenue was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $8.27 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 16.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 30th were paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 30th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.70%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In related news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.47% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. now owns 4,981 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $648,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,005,346 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $142,468,000 after buying an additional 55,351 shares during the period. Stiles Financial Services Inc lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 49.7% during the 4th quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 7,615 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $991,000 after acquiring an additional 2,529 shares in the last quarter. MGO One Seven LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 198.8% during the 4th quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 16,605 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,159,000 after acquiring an additional 11,047 shares during the period. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in Valero Energy by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,788,994 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $362,569,000 after acquiring an additional 342,218 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.