Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $154.46.

VLO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Piper Sandler raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $127.69 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 company has a market cap of $40.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.06, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy has a 52 week low of $116.84 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $132.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $134.75.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. Research analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.54%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 53.30%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,784 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,169,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 4,323 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $530,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Segment Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,947 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $606,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Silver Coast Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Silver Coast Investments LLC now owns 5,070 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $622,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators now owns 1,420 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $192,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

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.