Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target Raised to $490.00

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its target price hoisted by stock analysts at Citigroup from $485.00 to $490.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Citigroup‘s target price points to a potential upside of 16.81% from the stock’s current price.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $485.00 to $489.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $300.00 to $434.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Erste Group Bank lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $255.00 to $411.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $395.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $386.44.

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of NYSE VLO traded down $6.81 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $419.47. The stock had a trading volume of 1,739,419 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,291,968. The firm has a market cap of $120.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 0.59. Valero Energy has a fifty-two week low of $159.90 and a fifty-two week high of $461.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $391.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $309.38.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The oil and gas company reported $23.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $21.17 by $2.73. The business had revenue of $46.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.71 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 26.74% and a net margin of 5.17%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 43.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.66 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy will post 52.55 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 57.6% in the second quarter. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC now owns 104 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 1,980.0% during the third quarter. Mascoma Wealth Management LLC now owns 104 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 3,400.0% during the first 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 during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position 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 buying an additional 67 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Exceptional Q3 results: Valero reported adjusted EPS of $23.90, well above the roughly $21.17 analyst consensus, while revenue rose 43.3% year over year to $46.1 billion. Net income reached approximately $6.8 billion, compared with $1.1 billion a year earlier, as refining margins nearly tripled. Valero Energy Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Strong operating backdrop: Tight fuel inventories, resilient demand, higher crude and fuel prices, record ethanol production, and improved renewable-diesel and ethanol results supported profitability. Management also highlighted $9.8 billion of cash and disciplined capital spending. Valero Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Refining and Cash Strength
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Barclays raised its price target to $443 and Wells Fargo lifted its target to $489; both maintained overweight ratings. Zacks also characterized VLO as a buy-rated stock with record-breaking results. 3 Buy-Rated Stocks Breaking Quarterly Records
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry comparison: Valero and Phillips 66 both benefit from strong refining margins, but differences in crude sourcing, diversification, and valuation may influence which refiner investors prefer. VLO vs. PSX
• Negative Sentiment: Expectations and cyclicality remain risks: After reaching a 52-week high near $462, VLO may face profit-taking. Refining earnings are highly cyclical, and elevated crude prices or weaker margins could reduce the sustainability of the current earnings surge. TD Cowen raised its target to $400 but retained a hold rating, below the recent trading level.

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation is an international energy company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. The company’s primary business is refining and marketing transportation fuels, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other products used by commercial, industrial and consumer customers.

Valero operates refineries in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Its refining operations also produce asphalt, petrochemical feedstocks and other petroleum-based products. The company markets fuel through wholesale channels and branded retail networks, including Valero, Beacon and Shamrock-branded locations.

In addition to conventional refining, Valero has businesses focused on renewable fuels.