Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Given New $263.00 Price Target at Piper Sandler

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its target price increased by Piper Sandler from $236.00 to $263.00 in a research report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday. Mizuho reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $192.00 price objective (up from $190.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Friday, December 12th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $215.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $222.00.

Valero Energy Trading Down 4.7%

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $239.79 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.62. Valero Energy has a 1-year low of $101.66 and a 1-year high of $258.43. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $218.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $188.58.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $30.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.20 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 12.35% and a net margin of 1.91%.The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, February 5th were paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 5th. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.83%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.60, for a total transaction of $95,440.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Woodline Partners LP grew its stake in Valero Energy by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 26,747 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,532,000 after purchasing an additional 7,735 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 13.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,929 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $464,000. CW Advisors LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 16.3% during the 2nd quarter. CW Advisors LLC now owns 3,178 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $427,000 after purchasing an additional 445 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. grew its stake in Valero Energy by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 16,875 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,268,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target on VLO to $261 and kept an “overweight” rating, signaling confidence in Valero’s outlook. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler bumped its target to $263 and maintained an “overweight” view, another institutional vote of confidence. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs reiterated its “buy” rating on Valero, and BMO coverage also signaled expected upside—supporting the case for further appreciation if operational issues are resolved. Article Title Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary notes VLO has delivered strong year-to-date and multi-year returns, which may temper investor sentiment about valuation even as fundamentals remain in focus. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Reuters reports the March 23 Port Arthur explosion destroyed a diesel hydrotreater and the control room for multiple hydrotreating units — a significant operational hit for Valero’s 380,000 bpd refinery that could constrain output, raise repair costs and pressure margins. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: A lawsuit alleges gross negligence tied to the Port Arthur incident, introducing legal exposure and regulatory scrutiny that increase uncertainty about potential liabilities and remediation timelines. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage noting the stock fell amid a market uptick underscores that the operational/legal news is outweighing analyst upgrades in near-term trading. Article Title

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.