Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Earns Overweight Rating from Piper Sandler

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating reiterated by Piper Sandler in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $329.00 price target on the oil and gas company’s stock. Piper Sandler’s price target indicates a potential upside of 8.77% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $220.00 to $292.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $280.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, June 11th. Raymond James Financial upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Citigroup increased their target price on Valero Energy from $259.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $266.71.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $302.48 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a market cap of $89.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.98, a P/E/G ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 0.55. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $265.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $234.39. Valero Energy has a fifty-two week low of $130.78 and a fifty-two week high of $320.24.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.89 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Valero Energy will post 35.11 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total transaction of $2,011,275.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at $5,294,212.14. This represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3,400.0% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 134.0% during the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Global Assets Advisory LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth $33,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter worth $27,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target on Valero Energy to $357 from a prior level, reinforcing a bullish view and suggesting additional upside from current levels. The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target to $357.00
• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler reaffirmed its overweight rating and set a $329 price target, signaling continued confidence in Valero’s refining business and valuation. Valero Energy had its “overweight” rating reaffirmed by Piper Sandler
• Positive Sentiment: Valero’s board affirmed its regular quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, which supports the stock’s appeal for income-focused investors and may be contributing to recent momentum. Valero Energy (VLO) Eyes Earnings And Crude Supply Shifts, Is The Stock Fully Priced?
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Valero as a strong momentum stock, reflecting technical strength that can attract traders and trend-following investors. Here’s Why Valero Energy (VLO) is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect Valero’s earnings to grow when it reports next week, but Zacks also said the setup does not look especially favorable for an earnings beat, creating a mixed near-term outlook. Valero Energy (VLO) Earnings Expected to Grow: What to Know Ahead of Next Week’s Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Valero was noted to be attracting unusually high investor attention on Zacks, which indicates rising interest but does not by itself change the fundamentals. Valero Energy Corporation (VLO) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
• Negative Sentiment: One report said Valero underperformed peers on Thursday, suggesting some short-term profit-taking or relative weakness versus other refiners. Valero Energy Corp. stock underperforms Thursday when compared to competitors

About Valero Energy

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.