Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Upgraded at The Goldman Sachs Group

The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have $154.00 price objective on the oil and gas company’s stock, up from their previous price objective of $127.00.

VLO has been the subject of several other research reports. Raymond James dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $140.00 to $141.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.93.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $135.33 on Tuesday. Valero Energy has a twelve month low of $99.00 and a twelve month high of $167.78. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $120.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $128.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.98.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.27). Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. The business had revenue of $28.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.54 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.82 EPS. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 18th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.34%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 20th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 159.72%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 76,800 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $10,144,000 after acquiring an additional 1,782 shares during the last quarter. Perbak Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $362,000. EP Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 193,087 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $25,501,000 after purchasing an additional 7,002 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 33.8% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 10,552 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,394,000 after purchasing an additional 2,668 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Energy Income Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Energy Income Partners LLC now owns 10,812 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,428,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.