Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Given New $237.00 Price Target at The Goldman Sachs Group

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its price target boosted by The Goldman Sachs Group from $203.00 to $237.00 in a research note released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The Goldman Sachs Group currently has a buy rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on VLO. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Barclays raised their target price on Valero Energy from $169.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Zacks Research downgraded Valero Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $193.20.

Valero Energy Stock Up 2.1%

VLO stock opened at $235.95 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $196.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $177.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a market cap of $70.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.70. Valero Energy has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $240.27.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.55. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 12.35%. The company had revenue of $30.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.64 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Valero Energy will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 5th were issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 5th. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 62.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 8,311 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.69, for a total transaction of $1,892,331.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 42,242 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,618,080.98. The trade was a 16.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of VLO. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 17.4% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 160,794 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,377,000 after acquiring an additional 23,859 shares during the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its stake in Valero Energy by 15.7% in the second quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 161,957 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $21,770,000 after acquiring an additional 21,997 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at about $4,534,000. Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 9.0% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 104,859 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $17,853,000 after purchasing an additional 8,638 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tema Etfs LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $1,669,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Valero Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target on VLO to $237 and kept a “buy” rating, providing visible sell‑side endorsement that can attract buyers and support the rally. Goldman Sachs raises PT
• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical supply risk around the Strait of Hormuz has pushed crude higher and sent institutional flows into U.S. refiners; that demand-driven dynamic tends to boost refiners’ margins and investor appetite for names like Valero. Hormuz crisis lifts refiners
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend-focused coverage is highlighting Valero as an attractive income stock, which can underpin longer-term buyer interest and reduce volatility for yield-seeking investors. Dividend thesis
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst fair-value and narrative updates show mixed Street views — a modest upward revision to fair value and some divergent target changes mean continued analyst attention but no clear consensus signal. Analyst narrative shift
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and valuation checks note strong recent share-price momentum and elevated investor interest, prompting reassessments of where VLO belongs in portfolios (momentum may continue but raises valuation scrutiny). Valuation check
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: SVP Eric A. Fisher disclosed sales of 8,311 shares on Mar 11 (avg $227.69) and 400 shares on Mar 12 (avg $238.60), a meaningful reduction in his stake (~16.4% decline in his position). Large insider sales can signal personal liquidity needs or reduced conviction and may damp investor sentiment. SEC Form 4 – Fisher sales
• Negative Sentiment: Policy risk: the White House is considering temporarily waiving the Jones Act to ease fuel shipping constraints and tame US pump prices — increased supply access could pressure domestic refining margins and weigh on near-term profitability for refiners. Jones Act waiver consideration

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.