Valero Energy Sees Unusually Large Options Volume (NYSE:VLO)

Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) was the target of some unusual options trading on Monday. Traders bought 32,254 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 146% compared to the average daily volume of 13,103 call options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Mizuho lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $176.00 to $171.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, June 20th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $187.00 to $169.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $170.07.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.1 %

Shares of VLO stock traded up $1.66 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $149.58. 743,151 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,079,884. The stock has a market cap of $48.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.34, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy has a fifty-two week low of $113.16 and a fifty-two week high of $184.79. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $155.13 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $151.90.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.64. The firm had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.82% and a net margin of 5.01%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $8.27 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Valero Energy will post 15.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 28th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 30th were paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 30th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 21.20%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 13,314 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Lynx Investment Advisory purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth $33,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, First Foundation Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter worth about $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

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.