Mizuho Cuts Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target to $158.00

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its target price reduced by Mizuho from $165.00 to $158.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an outperform rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on VLO. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Piper Sandler lowered Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $169.00 to $123.00 in a report on Friday, September 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.57.

Valero Energy Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of VLO opened at $125.21 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The business has a fifty day moving average of $131.10 and a 200 day moving average of $139.36. The company has a market cap of $39.64 billion, a PE ratio of 11.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. Valero Energy has a 52-week low of $116.84 and a 52-week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $7.49 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy will post 8.86 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were paid a $1.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.42%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.39%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5.7% in the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 1,356 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $213,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.6% in the third quarter. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC now owns 4,851 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $655,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.9% during the third quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,784 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,169,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. New Century Financial Group LLC boosted its position in Valero Energy by 5.0% in the third quarter. New Century Financial Group LLC now owns 1,708 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $231,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $248,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.