Mizuho Has Lowered Expectations for Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Stock Price

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its price target trimmed by Mizuho from $171.00 to $165.00 in a research report report published on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on VLO. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 4th. Scotiabank dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $155.07.

Valero Energy Trading Down 2.5 %

Shares of VLO stock opened at $121.74 on Monday. Valero Energy has a fifty-two week low of $121.44 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. 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 has a 50 day simple moving average of $135.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $142.63. The company has a market cap of $38.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.92, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $7.49 EPS. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 8.86 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.52%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.39%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. 1ST Source Bank boosted its position in Valero Energy by 3.3% during the third quarter. 1ST Source Bank now owns 4,286 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $579,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares during the period. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,283,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,687,585 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $639,268,000 after buying an additional 247,630 shares in the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 43.6% in the 3rd quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 20,642 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,787,000 after buying an additional 6,272 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $342,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

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.