Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by 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 firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation, ten have given a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $154.57.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Bank of America started coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target for the company. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $141.21 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $131.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $138.20. Valero Energy has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The firm has a market cap of $44.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $7.49 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Valero Energy will post 7.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be issued a $1.13 dividend. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5.7% in the second quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,786 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $594,000 after buying an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Valero Energy by 1,795.6% in the second quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 25,193 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,949,000 after buying an additional 23,864 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Valero Energy by 5.8% during 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 acquiring an additional 237,347 shares during the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 82.6% during the second quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 2,706 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $424,000 after purchasing an additional 1,224 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lmcg Investments LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 9.4% in the 2nd quarter. Lmcg Investments LLC now owns 81,189 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $12,727,000 after acquiring an additional 6,969 shares during the period. 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.