Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Piper Sandler Analyst Says

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its price objective boosted by research analysts at Piper Sandler from $217.00 to $220.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Piper Sandler’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 21.08% from the stock’s current price.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $216.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Zacks Research downgraded Valero Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Erste Group Bank started coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Monday, November 10th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $181.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $183.53.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.4%

Valero Energy stock opened at $181.70 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.60. The stock has a market cap of $55.42 billion, a PE ratio of 23.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.77. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $175.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $163.72. Valero Energy has a one year low of $99.00 and a one year high of $194.50.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.55. The business had revenue of $30.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.20 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 12.34% and a net margin of 1.91%.The company’s revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.64 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total transaction of $1,728,540.66. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 134,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,352,787.92. This represents a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. GFG Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 70.2% during the third quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 1,277.8% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 248 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

More Valero Energy News

Here are the key news stories impacting Valero Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat — Valero posted adjusted EPS of $3.82 vs. consensus ~$3.27 and reported higher refining margins that lifted profitability. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Record throughput and operational strength highlighted on the earnings call — management cited record throughput that supports margin recovery and cash generation. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrade — Piper Sandler raised its price target to $220 and set an “overweight” rating, signaling ~21% upside versus recent levels and reinforcing bullish analyst sentiment. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Other analyst moves mixed — Morgan Stanley increased its target to $180 (below some peers’ targets and close to current levels), showing varied analyst views on near-term upside. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Supply actions — Valero said it will buy Venezuelan crude from three authorized sellers; operationally notable but carries geopolitical/supply considerations rather than immediate earnings surprises. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Offsetting margin and revenue notes — analysts and reports flagged weaker renewable-diesel margins and a small (-1.2%) y/y revenue decline; Valero’s net margin remained modest, which could limit multiple expansion despite the EPS beat. Read More.

About Valero Energy

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.