Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target Lowered to $140.00 at Barclays

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its price target reduced by Barclays from $146.00 to $140.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

VLO has been the subject of several other research reports. StockNews.com downgraded Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. Scotiabank cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Valero Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $172.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $155.86.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of VLO stock opened at $140.02 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $44.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $135.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $146.75. Valero Energy has a one year low of $120.21 and a one year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $7.49 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 9.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be given a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.06%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 38.39%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Paloma Partners Management Co raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 68.1% during the third quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 21,735 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,935,000 after purchasing an additional 8,804 shares during the period. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,135,000. B&L Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $922,000. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $12,261,000. Finally, Socorro Asset Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 4.1% in the third quarter. Socorro Asset Management LP now owns 59,743 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $8,067,000 after buying an additional 2,339 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.