Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have a “Moderate Buy” consensus on Valero Energy, with 11 buy, two strong-buy, seven hold and one sell rating. The average 12-month price target is $288.
• Valero reported quarterly EPS of $12.54, beating estimates of $10.11, while revenue rose 48.8% year over year to $44.48 billion. Shares recently traded near their 52-week high, opening at $323.81.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.20, equivalent to $4.80 annually and a 1.5% yield. An insider separately sold 7,500 shares, while institutional investors own 78.69% of the stock.

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty-one research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $288.00.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VLO. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $329.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Valero Energy from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Valero Energy from $292.00 to $356.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Zacks Research upgraded Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $286.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 directly owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at $5,294,212.14. This 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 the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Ieq Capital LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 22.8% during the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 97,901 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $25,498,000 after acquiring an additional 18,195 shares during the period. Callan Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 4,778 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,244,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares in the last quarter. Keebeck Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 12.0% in the 2nd quarter. Keebeck Wealth Management now owns 2,307 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $601,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the period. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Thoroughbred Financial Services LLC now owns 29,052 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $7,566,000 after purchasing an additional 853 shares during the period. Finally, Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. now owns 3,363 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $876,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Trading Up 2.8%

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $323.81 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.64. Valero Energy has a 52-week low of $131.52 and a 52-week high of $324.37. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $279.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $245.19. The stock has a market cap of $93.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 0.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.17% and a return on equity of 26.74%. The firm had revenue of $44.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.28 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 48.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 39.55 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be given a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Valero Energy's payout ratio is 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.

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