Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target Raised to $450.00

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its price objective boosted by Raymond James Financial from $350.00 to $450.00 in a report released on Monday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a strong-buy rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on VLO. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $356.00 to $389.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $286.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $279.00 to $323.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $317.41.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $403.31 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The business’s 50 day moving average is $334.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $275.91. The company has a market cap of $116.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.73, a P/E/G ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 0.57. Valero Energy has a 12 month low of $155.29 and a 12 month high of $407.27.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.11 by $2.43. The company had revenue of $44.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $39.47 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 26.74% and a net margin of 5.17%.Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 48.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.28 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Valero Energy will post 46.41 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st were paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 19.92%.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total value of $2,011,275.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,294,212.14. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 11.4% during the first 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 purchasing an additional 516,975 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,111,542,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position 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 during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 9.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,969,320 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $733,660,000 after buying an additional 254,604 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 18.4% in the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,842,339 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $702,285,000 after buying an additional 442,177 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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: Refining-market strength supports the rally. Global disruptions have reduced refining capacity and tightened gasoline, diesel and jet-fuel supplies, driving unusually strong refining margins. Valero’s complex refineries, Gulf Coast presence and ability to process a broad range of crude grades could allow it to benefit into 2027. UBS Bets on Valero Energy to Shatter Its Record High Can Crude Flexibility and Gulf Coast Exposure Aid VLO’s Outlook?
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst targets point to further upside. Raymond James raised its Valero price target to $450, while Morgan Stanley forecast strong appreciation, reinforcing the bullish outlook. Raymond James Raises Valero Energy Price Target Morgan Stanley Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Valero
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum and growth screens are attracting buyers. Zacks identified VLO as a top-ranked momentum stock and included it among its Rank #1 “Strong Buy” growth stocks. Valero Is a Top-Ranked Momentum Stock Best Growth Stocks to Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Market-relative performance was favorable. VLO advanced even as the broader market declined, highlighting continued investor demand. The company also recently exceeded earnings and revenue expectations, though the stock’s sharp year-to-date rally means future gains depend heavily on sustained refining margins. Valero Rises as Market Takes a Dip

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation is an international energy company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Its primary business is refining crude oil into transportation fuels and other products, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt, lubricants and petrochemical feedstocks.

Valero operates refineries and related facilities in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, and markets its products through wholesale and commercial channels in North America and other international markets.