Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.50 EPS

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50, Zacks reports. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $135.36 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.14, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $131.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $137.72. Valero Energy has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be paid a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 30th. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.34%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.39%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 9th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Scotiabank cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.54.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, Mexico, Peru, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol.