Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) Receives $179.27 Average PT from Analysts

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the nineteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have given a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $179.5333.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, October 25th. Morgan Stanley cut Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Citigroup cut Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $134.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on Valero Energy from $200.00 to $201.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Carmel Capital Management L.L.C. increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Carmel Capital Management L.L.C. now owns 51,136 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $8,706,000 after purchasing an additional 2,825 shares during the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5.2% during the third quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 76,907 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $13,094,000 after buying an additional 3,830 shares during the period. Barclays PLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.3% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 4,143,672 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $705,502,000 after buying an additional 209,597 shares in the last quarter. United Capital Management of KS Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. United Capital Management of KS Inc. now owns 85,050 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $14,481,000 after buying an additional 2,020 shares during the period. Finally, KCM Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 7.8% during the 3rd quarter. KCM Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,895 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $833,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of VLO opened at $177.25 on Monday. Valero Energy has a 52-week low of $99.00 and a 52-week high of $182.99. The company has a market capitalization of $54.06 billion, a PE ratio of 37.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.01. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $165.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $146.71. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.15 by $0.51. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.21% and a return on equity of 8.69%. The firm had revenue of $32.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.14 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 94.36%.

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.