Valero Energy’s (VLO) Sell Rating Reiterated at Freedom Broker

Freedom Broker reaffirmed their sell rating on shares of Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) in a report issued on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $276.00 price objective on the oil and gas company’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on VLO. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $365.00 to $457.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 23rd. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $329.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $485.00 to $489.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $255.00 to $411.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $379.94.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.0%

NYSE VLO opened at $419.19 on Friday. Valero Energy has a 52 week low of $159.90 and a 52 week high of $461.52. 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 company has a market capitalization of $120.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.24 and a beta of 0.59. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $393.03 and its 200-day moving average price is $310.61.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The oil and gas company reported $23.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $21.17 by $2.73. The firm had revenue of $46.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $42.71 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 47.50% and a net margin of 8.44%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 43.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $3.66 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 54.22 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 2.4% in the third quarter. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,027 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $398,000 after acquiring an additional 24 shares during the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 1.0% in the third quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 2,608 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,011,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Sigma Planning Corp grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.4% during the third quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 7,171 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,779,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.6% in the first quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 6,670 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,648,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Key Valero Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Exceptional Q3 earnings: Valero reported adjusted EPS of $23.90, well above the roughly $21.17 consensus, while revenue increased 43.3% year over year to $46.1 billion. Net income surged to $6.8 billion from $1.1 billion, driven primarily by sharply higher refining margins. Valero Energy Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Favorable operating outlook: Management highlighted tight fuel markets, resilient demand, record ethanol production, improving renewable diesel and ethanol profitability, and expectations that fuel margins could rise again. The company also cited $9.8 billion in cash and disciplined capital spending, supporting financial flexibility. Valero Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Refining and Cash Strength
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts remain constructive: Barclays raised its price target to $443 and retained an overweight rating, while Wells Fargo lifted its target to $489 and also maintained an overweight rating. Citigroup increased its target to $490, although it kept a neutral rating.
• Neutral Sentiment: Refining-sector momentum is strong but cyclical: Coverage emphasizes that Valero and other refiners are benefiting from tight fuel inventories and unusually high margins. Those conditions support near-term earnings but may be vulnerable to changes in crude prices, fuel demand, supply, or refinery utilization. Valero kicks off refiner results with record quarterly profit on higher margins
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and analyst disagreement are weighing on sentiment: Freedom Broker reaffirmed a sell rating and assigned a $276 price target, implying substantial downside from the referenced trading level. TD Cowen raised its target to $400 but maintained a hold rating, underscoring concerns that much of the refining upside may already be reflected in VLO’s valuation.

Valero Energy Company Profile

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.