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

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $187.6667.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on VLO. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Erste Group Bank initiated coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Monday, November 10th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Citigroup boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $190.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Argus raised Valero Energy to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $199.34 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.60. The stock has a market cap of $60.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.09, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.77. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $183.38 and a 200 day simple moving average of $170.76. Valero Energy has a 52-week low of $99.00 and a 52-week high of $206.77.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.55. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 12.34%. The company had revenue of $30.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.64 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Valero Energy will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 5th will be given a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 5th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 62.83%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 70.2% in the third quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. AXS Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1,277.8% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 248 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company’s operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.