Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Reaches New 12-Month High – What’s Next?

Shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $274.92 and last traded at $267.4840, with a volume of 2112316 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $267.76.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on VLO. TD Cowen raised their target price on Valero Energy from $276.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Barclays upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $261.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $236.00 to $263.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $247.59.

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.6%

The firm has a market capitalization of $79.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.33, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.58. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $251.07 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $222.49.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.89 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 28.37 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were given a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.88%.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total transaction of $2,011,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,294,212.14. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in Valero Energy by 33.5% during the fourth quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 42,376 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $6,898,000 after acquiring an additional 10,634 shares during the last quarter. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $954,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 359.0% in the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 14,243 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,319,000 after acquiring an additional 11,140 shares during the last quarter. Mirabella Financial Services LLP lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 139.9% in the 3rd quarter. Mirabella Financial Services LLP now owns 18,701 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,178,000 after purchasing an additional 10,905 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 24.7% during the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 565,171 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $92,004,000 after purchasing an additional 112,118 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently 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.