Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the sixteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $171.47.

A number of brokerages have commented on VLO. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Scotiabank upped their price target on Valero Energy from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $171.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of 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.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.3 %

VLO opened at $158.50 on Friday. Valero Energy has a 1 year low of $112.16 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $156.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $150.94. 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 market cap of $51.83 billion, a PE ratio of 7.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.18 by $0.64. The company had revenue of $31.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $8.27 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy will post 16.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 30th were issued a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.20%.

Insider Activity

In other Valero Energy news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total value of $113,846.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.47% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $570,428,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 12,883.3% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,047,360 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $136,157,000 after buying an additional 1,039,293 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 6.1% during the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 8,961,603 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,269,949,000 after acquiring an additional 517,068 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 37.6% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,558,750 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $266,040,000 after acquiring an additional 426,093 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 18.7% in the 4th quarter. Montrusco Bolton Investments Inc. now owns 2,389,654 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $310,655,000 after acquiring an additional 376,449 shares during the period. Institutional investors 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.