Q3 EPS Estimates for Valero Energy Lifted by Zacks Research

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research upped their Q3 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Valero Energy in a research note issued to investors on Monday, December 15th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the oil and gas company will post earnings of $2.63 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $2.59. The consensus estimate for Valero Energy’s current full-year earnings is $7.92 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Valero Energy’s Q4 2026 earnings at $1.16 EPS.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $201.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, November 14th. Morgan Stanley downgraded Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Valero Energy from $181.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Erste Group Bank began coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Monday, November 10th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $216.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $183.20.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $162.80 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $171.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $155.52. The stock has a market cap of $49.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Valero Energy has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $185.62.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.21% and a return on equity of 8.69%. The firm had revenue of $32.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.14 earnings per share. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 20th were paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 94.36%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 134,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,352,787.92. This trade represents a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 15.7% in the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 161,957 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $21,770,000 after buying an additional 21,997 shares during the last quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 8.9% during the 1st quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 46,474 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $6,138,000 after acquiring an additional 3,790 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 26.3% in the second quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 10,571 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,421,000 after acquiring an additional 2,199 shares during the last quarter. Caldwell Trust Co purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,666,000. Finally, FORA Capital LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth approximately $866,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company’s operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.