Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Stock Price Up 1.2% – Here’s What Happened

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO)’s share price traded up 1.2% during mid-day trading on Friday. The stock traded as high as $380.67 and last traded at $379.5840. 2,178,768 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 34% from the average session volume of 3,303,816 shares. The stock had previously closed at $374.95.

Trending Headlines about Valero Energy

Investors following VLO have been watching these headlines:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Strong Buy recognition: VLO was included in Zacks Rank #1 lists for momentum, value, and growth, as well as its broader Strong Buy list. The repeated selections may attract investor attention, though they are screening rankings rather than new company announcements. Zacks momentum list
• Positive Sentiment: Houston restart plan advances: Coverage highlighted Valero’s plan to acquire a former Houston refinery site and restart 165,000 barrels per day of capacity by the end of 2027. If executed, the project could add throughput and growth potential, although the benefits are not immediate. Houston restart plan
• Positive Sentiment: Robust refining results and shareholder returns: Recent analysis cited third-quarter net income of $6.8 billion, strong refining margins, near-record refinery utilization, a new $10 billion share-repurchase authorization, and a quarterly dividend. Strong margins and capital returns are helping underpin the positive investor narrative. Valero stock analysis

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on VLO shares. Evercore decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $385.00 to $325.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $467.00 price objective (up from $355.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Tuesday, October 6th. Raymond James Financial raised their price target on Valero Energy from $450.00 to $530.00 in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $485.00 to $489.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their price target on Valero Energy from $329.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $406.32.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.2%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 1.72. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $399.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $294.10. The stock has a market cap of $105.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 0.58.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The oil and gas company reported $23.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $21.17 by $2.73. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 45.90% and a net margin of 8.44%. The company had revenue of $46.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $42.71 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.66 earnings per share. Valero Energy’s revenue was up 43.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 58.33 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 21st. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 24th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 10.80%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Bank of America Corp DE increased its stake in Valero Energy by 11.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,033,310 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,243,630,000 after purchasing an additional 516,975 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 18.4% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,842,339 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $702,285,000 after buying an additional 442,177 shares during the period. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 45.3% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 2,584,976 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $638,695,000 after purchasing an additional 806,018 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 33.9% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,058,341 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $536,074,000 after purchasing an additional 520,642 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 15.0% in the first quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,092,978 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $270,053,000 after buying an additional 142,451 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is an international refiner and producer of transportation fuels and other petroleum products, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Its refining business processes crude oil and other feedstocks into products such as gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt and petrochemical feedstocks. The company markets and distributes fuels to wholesale customers and through branded distribution networks. Its refining operations span the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, with products serving customers in North America and other markets.