Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Call Options on Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO)

Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Thursday. Stock traders bought 38,320 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 204% compared to the typical daily volume of 12,599 call options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on VLO shares. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $169.00 to $123.00 in a report on Friday, September 20th. Scotiabank upped their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. StockNews.com lowered Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Wolfe Research started coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $168.07.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $135.95 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $144.25 and its 200-day moving average is $154.71. The stock has a market cap of $43.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 6.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.40. Valero Energy has a 1-year low of $119.88 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 21.01%. The company’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.40 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy will post 10.77 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 1st were issued a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 1st. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 21.20%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Collective Family Office LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. Collective Family Office LLC now owns 4,040 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $690,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in Valero Energy by 4.7% during the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,327 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $227,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter. International Private Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,970 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the period. Aua Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. Aua Capital Management LLC now owns 2,261 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $386,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OmniStar Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. OmniStar Financial Group Inc. now owns 4,543 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $712,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

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.