UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Stock Price

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its price target boosted by investment analysts at UBS Group from $165.00 to $183.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. UBS Group’s price target points to a potential upside of 10.46% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Citigroup lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $134.00 to $150.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. TD Cowen lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their target price for the company from $118.00 to $140.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 22nd. Raymond James Financial lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $170.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 9th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Bank of America raised shares of Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $152.00 to $179.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $165.00.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock traded up $3.05 during trading on Monday, reaching $165.67. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 317,534 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,219,873. Valero Energy has a one year low of $99.00 and a one year high of $165.65. The firm has a market cap of $51.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 68.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.10. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $146.45 and its 200-day moving average price is $134.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.62.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The oil and gas company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.62. The firm had revenue of $29.89 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $27 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 0.62% and a return on equity of 5.76%. Valero Energy’s revenue was down 13.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.71 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 12.0% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,881,222 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $5,135,043,000 after buying an additional 4,155,522 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,724,707 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,576,035,000 after purchasing an additional 286,942 shares in the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its stake in Valero Energy by 276.9% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,795,436 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,425,754,000 after acquiring an additional 7,931,018 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 16.7% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,141,511 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,089,897,000 after purchasing an additional 1,164,217 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the second quarter worth $827,390,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, Mexico, Peru, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol.