Brokerages Set Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Target Price at $155.07

Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $155.07.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on VLO shares. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of VLO. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Summit Securities Group LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the second quarter worth about $31,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in 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 valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.3 %

VLO stock opened at $118.59 on Friday. Valero Energy has a 12 month low of $117.14 and a 12 month high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $134.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $142.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.54 billion, a PE ratio of 10.64, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.49 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Valero Energy will post 8.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were paid a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.61%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

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.