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

Shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $312.37 and last traded at $312.3250, with a volume of 197732 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $309.65.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on VLO. Raymond James Financial raised their target price on Valero Energy from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $261.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Citigroup raised their price target on Valero Energy from $259.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $253.06.

Valero Energy Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $258.97 and a 200-day moving average of $229.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $92.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.70, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.89 earnings per share. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 32.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total transaction of $2,011,275.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,294,212.14. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth $1,111,542,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $275,239,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 2,635.7% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 950,527 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $154,736,000 after acquiring an additional 915,782 shares during the last quarter. Amundi lifted 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, Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 49.3% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,696,811 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $276,224,000 after buying an additional 560,116 shares during the period. 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.