Wells Fargo & Company Increases Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target to $144.00

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its price objective increased by Wells Fargo & Company from $135.00 to $144.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 1.37% from the company’s current price.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on VLO. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $171.00 in a report on Friday, July 7th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $152.00 to $162.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 16th. Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $145.00 price target for the company in a research note on Monday, July 31st. Finally, Bank of America lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $160.00 to $152.00 in a research note on Tuesday, August 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $152.69.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO stock opened at $142.06 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $50.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 4.89, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.66. Valero Energy has a fifty-two week low of $97.73 and a fifty-two week high of $150.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $126.69 and a 200 day moving average price of $123.28.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The oil and gas company reported $5.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $5.08 by $0.32. Valero Energy had a net margin of 6.96% and a return on equity of 42.31%. The business had revenue of $34.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.37 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $11.36 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 33.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy will post 24.16 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valero Energy news, Director Joseph W. Gorder sold 75,580 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.99, for a total transaction of $10,278,124.20. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 621,872 shares in the company, valued at $84,568,373.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Stone House Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Sageworth Trust Co lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 716.7% in the first quarter. Sageworth Trust Co now owns 196 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Live Oak Investment Partners purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 110.8% in the 2nd quarter. Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 215 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Finally, McIlrath & Eck LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 217.6% in the 1st quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 216 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. 77.07% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol. The company produces California Reformulated Gasoline Blendstock for Oxygenate Blending and Conventional Blendstock for Oxygenate Blending gasolines, CARB diesel, diesel, jet fuel, and asphalt; aromatics; and sulfur crude oils.