Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target Raised to $302.00

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its target price upped by Citigroup from $259.00 to $302.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Raymond James Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Valero Energy from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Valero Energy from $236.00 to $263.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $276.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 29th. Finally, Wolfe Research reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $203.00 price target on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $253.06.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $300.48 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $257.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $228.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.58. Valero Energy has a one year low of $130.78 and a one year high of $303.64. The company has a market cap of $89.22 billion, a PE ratio of 21.84, a P/E/G ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 0.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.89 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 32.04 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 21st were paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 21st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total transaction of $2,011,275.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,294,212.14. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of VLO. State Street Corp raised its position in Valero Energy by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 18,177,191 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,959,065,000 after buying an additional 163,975 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Valero Energy by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,950,982 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,945,500,000 after purchasing an additional 63,919 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,111,542,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,668,210 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $922,728,000 after buying an additional 394,693 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 11.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,033,310 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,243,630,000 after buying an additional 516,975 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently 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: Valero declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $1.20 per share, reinforcing its shareholder-return profile and signaling confidence in cash generation. Valero Energy Corporation Declares Regular Cash Dividend on Common Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst-related coverage suggested Valero could run higher on rising earnings estimates, which typically supports the stock by pointing to improving profit expectations. Can Valero Energy (VLO) Run Higher on Rising Earnings Estimates?
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple reports said VLO hit a new 52-week high after an analyst upgrade, suggesting Wall Street sentiment has turned more constructive and helped extend the stock’s recent strength. Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Sets New 12-Month High Following Analyst Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: There was also unusual options activity, with traders buying more put options than normal, which may indicate hedging or caution, but does not by itself explain a major fundamental shift.
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader refining-margin commentary for the sector was supportive overall, but it was focused on Marathon Petroleum rather than Valero specifically.

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.