Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Stock Falls 1.8% – Should You Sell?

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO)’s share price traded down 1.8% on Tuesday. The stock traded as low as $341.51 and last traded at $350.1690. 3,166,344 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 4% from the average daily volume of 3,314,265 shares. The stock had previously closed at $356.75.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on VLO. Mizuho raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $434.00 to $436.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, November 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $401.00 to $394.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Raymond James Financial increased their target price on Valero Energy from $450.00 to $530.00 in a report on Monday, October 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Valero Energy from $339.00 to $439.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Freedom Broker lowered Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $276.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Friday, October 23rd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $406.32.

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.8%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.72 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $399.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $290.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $100.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.88, a P/E/G ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 0.58.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted 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. The company had revenue of $46.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $42.71 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 45.90% and a net margin of 8.44%. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 43.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.66 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 57.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 24th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 10.80%.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 57.6% during the second quarter. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC now owns 104 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Balance Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $32,000. Global Assets Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth about $33,000. Latitude Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 1,980.0% in the 3rd quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 104 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is an international refiner and producer of transportation fuels and other petroleum products, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Its refining business processes crude oil and other feedstocks into products such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt and petrochemical feedstocks. The company markets and distributes fuels to wholesale customers and through branded distribution networks. Its refining operations span the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with products serving customers in North America and other markets.