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

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50, Zacks reports. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO traded down $2.73 during mid-day 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 firm has a 50-day moving average price of $131.11 and a 200 day moving average price of $137.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.14, a PEG ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Valero Energy has a fifty-two week low of $116.84 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler raised shares of Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 9th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 4th. Mizuho dropped 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. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy 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.

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