Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) PT Lowered to $131.00 at The Goldman Sachs Group

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its price target lowered by The Goldman Sachs Group from $149.00 to $131.00 in a research note released on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a sell rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on VLO. StockNews.com cut Valero Energy from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a sector outperform rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Barclays lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Friday, June 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $171.36.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.4 %

VLO stock opened at $133.74 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $146.22 and a 200-day moving average of $155.43. The company has a market capitalization of $43.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.62, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a current ratio of 1.48. Valero Energy has a fifty-two week low of $119.88 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $34.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 21.01% and a net margin of 4.25%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.40 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 12.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.20%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 21.20%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of VLO. MGO One Seven LLC grew its position 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 worth $2,159,000 after acquiring an additional 11,047 shares during the last quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its position in Valero Energy by 214.4% during the 4th quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board now owns 14,475 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,882,000 after acquiring an additional 9,871 shares during the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $15,945,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 62.2% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 13,586 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,766,000 after acquiring an additional 5,209 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bollard Group LLC grew its position in Valero Energy by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Bollard Group LLC now owns 58,968 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $7,666,000 after acquiring an additional 440 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.