Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Stock Price Up 4.7% – Should You Buy?

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) shares traded up 4.7% on Tuesday. The company traded as high as $457.20 and last traded at $456.6280. Approximately 2,499,547 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 25% from the average session volume of 3,332,752 shares. The stock had previously closed at $436.00.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $323.00 to $441.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Zacks Research upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. 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. Raymond James Financial boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $350.00 to $450.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $356.00 to $389.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $365.19.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $371.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $298.31. The firm has a market cap of $131.48 billion, a PE ratio of 18.95, a PEG ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.11 by $2.43. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 26.74% and a net margin of 5.17%. The business had revenue of $44.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.47 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.28 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 48.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 51.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st were issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.92%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Grove Bank & Trust raised its stake in Valero Energy by 1.0% during the third quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 2,608 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,011,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 58,558 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $15,251,000 after buying an additional 3,037 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 24.1% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 6,454 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,681,000 after buying an additional 1,255 shares during the last quarter. Security National Bank of SO Dak purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $108,000. Finally, Bouchey Financial Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 4.6% during the 2nd quarter. Bouchey Financial Group Ltd. now owns 1,016 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $265,000 after buying an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation is an international petroleum refining, renewable fuels and marketing company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Founded in 1980, the company processes crude oil and other feedstocks into transportation fuels and other products used by commercial, industrial and consumer customers.

Valero’s refined products include gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt, lubricants and petrochemical feedstocks. The company also produces and markets ethanol and renewable diesel, including through its Diamond Green Diesel joint venture with Darling Ingredients.