Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Lowered to Peer Perform Rating by Wolfe Research

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wolfe Research from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note issued on Monday, Marketbeat.com reports.

VLO has been the topic of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 24th. Scotiabank decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Valero Energy from $121.00 to $118.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $158.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $151.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $153.56.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO traded down $0.53 during trading on Monday, hitting $148.34. 718,160 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,077,560. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 52.41, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $134.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $129.51. Valero Energy has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $167.78.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.16 by ($0.27). The company had revenue of $28.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.54 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 0.72% and a return on equity of 6.30%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.82 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sendero Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 11.0% in the first quarter. Sendero Wealth Management LLC now owns 20,198 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,668,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 178,293 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $21,857,000 after buying an additional 5,203 shares in the last quarter. AlTi Global Inc. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 18.2% in the fourth quarter. AlTi Global Inc. now owns 64,793 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $8,585,000 after buying an additional 9,963 shares in the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 1,930.4% in the fourth quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 113,603 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $13,927,000 after purchasing an additional 108,008 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 130.0% in the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 7,884 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $967,000 after purchasing an additional 4,456 shares during 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.