Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) Stock Has Consensus Target Price of $379.94

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one brokerages that are covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $379.94.

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $329.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Valero Energy from $365.00 to $457.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Freedom Broker downgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $276.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $255.00 to $411.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO stock opened at $388.39 on Monday. Valero Energy has a 1-year low of $159.90 and a 1-year high of $461.52. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $395.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $282.96. The company has a market capitalization of $111.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.74, a PEG ratio of 0.24 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.23.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The oil and gas company reported $23.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $21.17 by $2.73. Valero Energy had a net margin of 8.44% and a return on equity of 47.50%. The company had revenue of $46.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $42.71 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.66 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 43.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 56.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be issued a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 24th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 10.80%.

Trending Headlines about Valero Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Valero Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Valero maintained its quarterly dividend at $1.20 per share, payable December 21 to shareholders of record November 24. The annualized payout is $4.80 per share, supporting the stock’s income appeal. Valero dividend announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Valero’s latest earnings were exceptionally strong, with quarterly EPS of approximately $23.90 beating consensus and revenue exceeding estimates. The results represented a substantial improvement from the prior-year period, indicating powerful refining economics. Refiner stocks selloff article
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks recently included VLO among its Rank #1 growth stocks, citing strong momentum, earnings surprises and growth projections. Zacks growth stocks article

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 11.4% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,033,310 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,243,630,000 after acquiring an additional 516,975 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 9.4% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,969,320 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $733,660,000 after purchasing an additional 254,604 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 18.4% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,842,339 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $702,285,000 after purchasing an additional 442,177 shares in the last quarter. Amundi boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 45.3% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 2,584,976 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $638,695,000 after purchasing an additional 806,018 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 33.9% in the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,058,341 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $536,074,000 after acquiring an additional 520,642 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation is an international energy company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. The company’s primary business is refining and marketing transportation fuels, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other products used by commercial, industrial and consumer customers.

Valero operates refineries in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Its refining operations also produce asphalt, petrochemical feedstocks and other petroleum-based products. The company markets fuel through wholesale channels and branded retail networks, including Valero, Beacon and Shamrock-branded locations.

In addition to conventional refining, Valero has businesses focused on renewable fuels.