Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Erste Group Bank began coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Monday, November 10th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $169.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Valero Energy from $216.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $201.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $195.00 price target (up from $181.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Friday, October 24th. Two 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $182.00.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO opened at $174.68 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.60. The company has a market cap of $53.28 billion, a PE ratio of 36.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.76. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $170.53 and a 200-day moving average of $152.79. Valero Energy has a 52-week low of $99.00 and a 52-week high of $185.62.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In other news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total value of $1,728,540.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 134,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,352,787.92. This represents a 6.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Waddell & Associates LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 2.8% during the third quarter. Waddell & Associates LLC now owns 2,040 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $347,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. DSG Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. DSG Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,803 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $647,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Cypress Capital Group increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cypress Capital Group now owns 18,786 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,199,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 2.0% during the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 3,381 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $576,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Becker Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc. now owns 11,837 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,015,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

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.