Mizuho Trims Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Target Price to $171.00

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its target price trimmed by Mizuho from $175.00 to $171.00 in a report released on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $172.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. They issued an outperform rating and a $177.00 price objective for the company. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a sector outperform rating in a report on Friday, July 12th. StockNews.com cut Valero Energy from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $171.36.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $138.67 on Monday. Valero Energy has a 52-week low of $119.88 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The business has a fifty day moving average of $145.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $155.13. The stock has a market cap of $44.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.60 by $0.11. The firm had revenue of $34.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 21.01%. Valero Energy’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $5.40 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy will post 12.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 1st were paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.09%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VLO. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.