Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report report published on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $166.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $177.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (up from $181.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $181.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $181.00.

Valero Energy Stock Up 3.3%

NYSE VLO traded up $5.85 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $181.63. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,222,176 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,092,447. The company has a market capitalization of $55.40 billion, a PE ratio of 37.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Valero Energy has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $183.93. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $166.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $147.60.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.15 by $0.51. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 8.69% and a net margin of 1.21%.The firm had revenue of $32.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.14 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th will be paid a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 94.36%.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hoey Investments Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. GFG Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter worth about $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 70.2% in the third quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its stake in Valero Energy by 156.6% during the first quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 213 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 1,277.8% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 248 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About Valero Energy

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.