Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Upgraded at Wall Street Zen

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report issued on Friday.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on VLO. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $201.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $152.00 to $179.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 3rd. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $169.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut shares of Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and increased their target price for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $182.00.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $176.76 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $169.98 and a 200 day simple moving average of $151.33. Valero Energy has a twelve month low of $99.00 and a twelve month high of $185.62. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.91 billion, a PE ratio of 36.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.60.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.51. The firm had revenue of $32.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.80 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 8.69% and a net margin of 1.21%.The company’s revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.14 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In related news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total value of $1,728,540.66. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 134,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,352,787.92. The trade was a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 70.2% in the 3rd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at $26,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $34,000. Finally, Cypress Capital Management LLC WY bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at $34,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, Mexico, Peru, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol.