Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Sets New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) shares reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $269.00 and last traded at $267.1470, with a volume of 151027 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $259.37.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on VLO shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Valero Energy from $220.00 to $292.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $245.59.

Valero Energy Trading Up 3.4%

The company has a market capitalization of $79.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.45, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $246.28 and a 200 day simple moving average of $217.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.58.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The company had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.38 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.89 earnings per share. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 27.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 34.88%.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $236.90, for a total transaction of $1,776,750.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 27,242 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,453,629.80. The trade was a 21.59% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 3,400.0% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 134.0% during the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Finally, Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company’s operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.