Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Stock Price Up 3.6% – Still a Buy?

Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)’s share price traded up 3.6% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $136.25 and last traded at $136.73. 299,773 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 91% from the average session volume of 3,329,294 shares. The stock had previously closed at $132.00.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of several recent research reports. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 7th. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.08.

Valero Energy Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $42.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.91, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $133.88 and a 200-day simple moving average of $133.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were issued a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, January 30th. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 53.30%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Tobam purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. 78.69% of the stock is 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.