Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.50 EPS

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) announced its earnings results on Thursday. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50, Zacks reports. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%.

Valero Energy Stock Down 2.0 %

VLO stock traded down $2.73 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $135.63. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,078,490 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,908,010. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy has a 52-week low of $116.84 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.14, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.42. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $131.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $137.72.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th will be given a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 30th. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.39%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

VLO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.54.

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.