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

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its price objective increased by research analysts at UBS Group from $215.00 to $280.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. UBS Group’s price target suggests a potential upside of 15.19% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Raymond James Financial raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $215.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Bank of America restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down from $198.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $210.80.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.7%

NYSE:VLO traded up $1.61 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $243.07. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,917,058 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,929,235. The business’s 50-day moving average is $212.90 and its 200-day moving average is $185.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Valero Energy has a one year low of $99.00 and a one year high of $258.43. The company has a market cap of $72.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.62.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company’s revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.64 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 8,311 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.69, for a total value of $1,892,331.59. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 42,242 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,618,080.98. This trade represents a 16.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 70.2% during the third quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. AXS Investments LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 157.0% in the fourth quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 203 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

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.