Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target Raised to $200.00

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its target price boosted by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $197.00 to $200.00 in a research note published on Thursday,Benzinga reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. currently has an overweight rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down previously from $198.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. TD Cowen upped their target price on Valero Energy from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $195.00 price target (up from $181.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Erste Group Bank began coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Monday, November 10th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $183.00.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $185.30 on Thursday. Valero Energy has a 12-month low of $99.00 and a 12-month high of $192.00. The firm has a market cap of $56.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.06 and a beta of 0.77. The company’s 50-day moving average is $172.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $159.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.51. The business had revenue of $32.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.80 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.21% and a return on equity of 8.69%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.14 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Valero Energy will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 20th were paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.4%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 94.36%.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In other news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total value of $1,728,540.66. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 134,196 shares in the company, valued at $23,352,787.92. This trade represents a 6.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Central Bank & Trust Co. lifted its position in Valero Energy by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Central Bank & Trust Co. now owns 35,164 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $5,724,000 after buying an additional 754 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 21.1% in the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 137,021 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $22,306,000 after acquiring an additional 23,883 shares during the period. Montecito Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Montecito Bank & Trust now owns 3,909 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $636,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC boosted its position in Valero Energy by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 109,188 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $19,716,000 after purchasing an additional 528 shares during the period. Finally, Gryphon Financial Partners LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 10.7% in the 4th quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 2,231 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $363,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo and Barclays reaffirmed buy ratings on VLO, reinforcing institutional support that can underpin the stock. Wells Fargo Keeps Their Buy Rating on Valero Energy (VLO)
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target to $200 and keeps an overweight view, signaling analysts see upside versus recent levels. JPMorgan raises VLO target
• Positive Sentiment: Media and TV commentary (Jim Cramer) highlight refiners like Valero as potential beneficiaries if U.S. policy opens access to Venezuelan crude — a positive sentiment tailwind for refining margins and investor interest. Jim Cramer Says Refiners Like Valero as Potential Winners From Venezuelan Oil
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks notes Valero’s strong earnings surprise history and factors (operational flexibility, margin capture) that increase the odds of an earnings beat — a catalyst that could lift the stock if results beat again. Will Valero Energy (VLO) Beat Estimates Again?
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually high options volume indicates heavy positioning/speculation around VLO — can amplify moves in either direction but doesn’t signal a fundamental change alone. Valero Energy Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:VLO)
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of a White House meeting with oil majors (Barron’s) and comments that majors may move slowly into Venezuela (Reuters) create a mixed timeline: policy momentum exists, but execution and investment timelines remain uncertain. Trump to Meet With Chevron and Other Oil Companies on Venezuela Bessent says largest oil companies are likely to move slower in Venezuela
• Negative Sentiment: Critical analysis (Seeking Alpha) calls the “Venezuela hype” into question, arguing the upside may be overstated — this increased skepticism can pressure the stock if investors reassess realistic benefits. Valero Energy: Sell The Venezuela Hype
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that U.S. oil companies want firm guarantees before investing in Venezuela (FT/Reuters) highlight political, legal and investment risk — a material constraint on how quickly Valero could benefit. US oil companies say they need guarantees to invest in Venezuela
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler trimmed its price target (from $223 to $217) — a modest downgrade to upside expectations that can add downward pressure despite an overweight rating. Piper Sandler lowers PT

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.