StockNews.com Downgrades Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) to Hold

StockNews.com cut shares of Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Sunday.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Valero Energy from $184.00 to $179.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 6th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a sell rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Mizuho lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $176.00 to $171.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Thursday, June 20th. Finally, Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $172.00.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $153.52 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.59. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $157.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $149.80. Valero Energy has a fifty-two week low of $112.04 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.20 billion, a PE ratio of 7.61, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.47.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.64. The business had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.82% and a net margin of 5.01%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $8.27 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 17.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.79%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In other news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total value of $113,846.40. Following the sale, the director now owns 13,314 shares in the company, valued at $2,105,209.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Cutter & CO Brokerage Inc. now owns 4,981 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $648,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,005,346 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $142,468,000 after purchasing an additional 55,351 shares during the period. Stiles Financial Services Inc grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 49.7% in the fourth quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 7,615 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $991,000 after purchasing an additional 2,529 shares during the period. MGO One Seven LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 198.8% in the fourth quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 16,605 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,159,000 after buying an additional 11,047 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 14.0% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,788,994 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $362,569,000 after buying an additional 342,218 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.