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

Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) has received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $172.07.

Several research firms have recently weighed in on VLO. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $156.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.4 %

NYSE VLO opened at $159.12 on Tuesday. 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 firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $153.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $153.18. Valero Energy has a twelve month low of $119.88 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The stock has a market cap of $52.03 billion, a PE ratio of 7.88, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 20.97%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.40 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 13.18 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 1st will be paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.69%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 21.20%.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

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

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in Valero Energy by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 43,597 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $6,178,000 after purchasing an additional 4,184 shares in the last quarter. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Brookstone Capital Management increased its position in Valero Energy by 18.7% during the 4th quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 5,966 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $776,000 after purchasing an additional 940 shares in the last quarter. Advisor Resource Council acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $215,000. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 52.2% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 34,352 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,466,000 after purchasing an additional 11,783 shares in the last quarter. 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.