Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target Raised to $280.00

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its price objective hoisted by UBS Group from $215.00 to $280.00 in a research note released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of Valero Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Scotiabank upgraded Valero Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on Valero Energy from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down from $198.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $210.80.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of VLO opened at $244.02 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $215.18 and its 200 day moving average price is $186.86. Valero Energy has a 12-month low of $99.00 and a 12-month high of $258.43. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a market cap of $72.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.62.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.55. The company had revenue of $30.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.20 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 12.35%. Valero Energy’s revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.64 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 5th were issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 5th. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.83%.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.60, for a total value of $95,440.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Woodline Partners LP lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 26,747 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,532,000 after buying an additional 7,735 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 13.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,929 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $259,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $464,000. Twin Peaks Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $52,000. Finally, CW Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 16.3% in the second quarter. CW Advisors LLC now owns 3,178 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $427,000 after purchasing an additional 445 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.