Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) Receives $288.00 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) has been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have issued a hold recommendation, eleven have issued a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $288.00.

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $329.00 price objective on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Barclays raised their price target on Valero Energy from $279.00 to $323.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Wolfe Research reissued an “underperform” rating and set a $203.00 price objective on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Citigroup lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $259.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $289.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total value of $2,011,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,294,212.14. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3,400.0% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 134.0% during the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter worth $27,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.5%

VLO stock opened at $341.36 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $283.92 and a 200 day moving average of $247.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $98.29 billion, a PE ratio of 14.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. Valero Energy has a 52 week low of $135.01 and a 52 week high of $346.09.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.11 by $2.43. The firm had revenue of $44.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $39.47 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.17% and a return on equity of 26.74%. The business’s revenue was up 48.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.28 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 40.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 19.92%.

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.