Erste Group Bank Expects Stronger Earnings for Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) – Investment analysts at Erste Group Bank upped their FY2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Valero Energy in a research report issued on Thursday, April 2nd. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now expects that the oil and gas company will post earnings per share of $17.71 for the year, up from their previous estimate of $14.41. The consensus estimate for Valero Energy’s current full-year earnings is $7.92 per share. Erste Group Bank also issued estimates for Valero Energy’s FY2027 earnings at $14.53 EPS.

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

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on VLO. Citigroup lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $190.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Argus upgraded Valero Energy to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Barclays lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $184.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Raymond James Financial lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $215.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $222.00.

Valero Energy Stock Down 2.0%

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $234.95 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $219.95 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $188.91. 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 company has a market capitalization of $70.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.75, a PEG ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 0.62. Valero Energy has a 1-year low of $105.87 and a 1-year high of $258.43.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 70.2% in the third quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. AXS Investments LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. increased its stake in Valero Energy by 157.0% during the fourth quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 203 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 400 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction on 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

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

More Valero Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple brokerages raised targets and reiterated bullish views, supporting upside: Barclays raised its price target to $261 (overweight). Barclays raises PT
• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler bumped its target to $263 and kept an overweight rating, signaling continued analyst confidence in Valero’s outlook. Piper Sandler raises PT
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group materially increased its FY2026 and FY2027 EPS forecasts (e.g., FY2026 to $17.71 EPS), implying analysts see stronger multi-year earnings power than the street consensus. Erste Group raises estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs maintained its buy rating and other outlets report an average analyst stance of “moderate buy,” keeping institutional demand pressure in place. Goldman maintains buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors and media are spotlighting Valero as a momentum/refining story after a large YTD rally; Zacks pieces and other coverage are driving attention but add limited new fundamental information. Zacks momentum coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect a strong Q1 print (Barchart notes projections of robust triple‑digit earnings growth), which could be a catalyst if results and guidance beat. Barchart Q1 preview
• Negative Sentiment: A March 23 explosion at Valero’s Port Arthur, TX refinery destroyed a diesel hydrotreater and a shared control room for hydrotreating units — a significant operational hit that can reduce throughput, raise repair costs, and pressure near-term margins and supply. This Reuters exposé is the primary near-term negative driver. Reuters Port Arthur blast
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction included a pullback in recent sessions (coverage noted a decline), driven by the refinery incident and profit‑taking after a large rally — near-term volatility risk remains elevated. Yahoo market reaction

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.