Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Shares Up 5.9% - What's Next?

Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report)'s share price traded up 5.9% during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $134.70 and last traded at $134.70. 1,160,939 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 46% from the average session volume of 2,148,590 shares. The stock had previously closed at $127.15.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Mizuho cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $154.57.

Valero Energy Stock Up 5.0 %

The business has a fifty day moving average of $131.06 and a 200 day moving average of $138.75. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market capitalization of $42.26 billion, a PE ratio of 11.97, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.49 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.86 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were paid a $1.07 dividend. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy's payout ratio is presently 38.39%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 5.7% during the second quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 1,356 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $213,000 after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Quad Cities Investment Group LLC increased its holdings 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 valued at $655,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.9% in the third quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,784 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,169,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. New Century Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 4.7% in the third quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,834 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $248,000 after buying an additional 82 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company's stock.

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.