Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Trading 3% Higher

Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) shares were up 3% on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $140.65 and last traded at $139.81. Approximately 1,151,774 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 62% from the average daily volume of 3,007,477 shares. The stock had previously closed at $135.68.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $146.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price objective for the company. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $165.21.

Valero Energy Trading Up 5.9 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.04. The business’s 50-day moving average is $143.27 and its 200 day moving average is $154.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 1.40.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 21.01%. The company had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $5.40 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 10.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st were issued a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 21.20%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Czech National Bank lifted its position in Valero Energy by 4.7% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 65,264 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $8,813,000 after purchasing an additional 2,951 shares during the last quarter. American National Bank & Trust increased its position in Valero Energy by 14.7% during the third quarter. American National Bank & Trust now owns 52,779 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $7,127,000 after acquiring an additional 6,784 shares during the last quarter. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the second quarter worth about $76,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 508.3% during the second quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 10,450 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,638,000 after purchasing an additional 8,732 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund grew its stake in Valero Energy by 269.8% during the second quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 63,095 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $9,891,000 after acquiring an additional 46,033 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

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.