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

Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) has been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have given a hold recommendation, ten have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $165.20.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on VLO shares. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com downgraded Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 12th.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $142.42 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.57 billion, a PE ratio of 7.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $142.67 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $153.79. Valero Energy has a twelve month low of $119.88 and a twelve month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 21.01%. The business had revenue of $34.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.97 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $5.40 EPS. Valero Energy’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 10.13 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st were issued a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.01%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,956,743 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,090,532,000 after purchasing an additional 192,397 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.8% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,319,436 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $677,007,000 after purchasing an additional 237,347 shares during the period. Putnam Investments LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Putnam Investments LLC now owns 3,445,821 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $447,957,000 after purchasing an additional 122,207 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.9% in the second quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 3,018,107 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $473,118,000 after purchasing an additional 56,989 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 2,809,355 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $440,394,000 after buying an additional 82,539 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.