Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) PT Lowered to $151.00 at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its price objective reduced by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $172.00 to $151.00 in a research note published on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Valero Energy from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and dropped their target price for the company from $169.00 to $123.00 in a research report on Friday, September 20th. Barclays lowered their price target on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the company a sector outperform rating in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $171.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Valero Energy from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $165.20.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $142.42 on Wednesday. Valero Energy has a fifty-two week low of $119.88 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $142.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $153.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The stock has a market cap of $46.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.35 and a beta of 1.39.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. The business 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%. The company’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $5.40 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 10.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 1st were given a dividend of $1.07 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 1st. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.01%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VLO. MGO One Seven LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 198.8% in the fourth quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 16,605 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,159,000 after purchasing an additional 11,047 shares in the last quarter. Manning & Napier Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $15,945,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 62.2% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 13,586 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,766,000 after buying an additional 5,209 shares during the last quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the second quarter worth $535,000. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 223.1% in the first quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 10,796 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,843,000 after acquiring an additional 7,455 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.