Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Sets New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $312.37 and last traded at $312.3250, with a volume of 197732 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $309.65.

More Valero Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target on Valero Energy to $338 from $292, suggesting additional upside even though the firm kept a hold rating. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Valero as a top long-term growth stock, reinforcing the view that the refiner still has strong fundamentals and investor appeal. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Valero has been trading near record levels after a recent breakout to a new 52-week high, indicating strong technical momentum. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank reportedly raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Valero, but no additional details were provided. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader energy-sector headlines remain mixed, with strong refinery economics supporting some names while other refining-related stories point to uneven earnings trends elsewhere in the group. Article

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VLO has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Barclays lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $261.00 to $279.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $220.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Scotiabank upped their price target on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. One equities 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. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $255.76.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.5%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market cap of $93.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.88, a PEG ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 0.55. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $261.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $231.89.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The company had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.89 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 32.61 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the business’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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,294,212.14. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 3,400.0% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 134.0% during the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.