The Goldman Sachs Group Increases Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target to $357.00

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its target price lifted by research analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $286.00 to $357.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s target price indicates a potential upside of 17.19% from the company’s previous close.

VLO has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Raymond James Financial boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Mizuho increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $222.00 to $289.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $236.00 to $263.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Weiss Ratings cut Valero Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $266.71.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $304.63 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $90.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.55. The company’s fifty day moving average is $264.18 and its 200-day moving average is $233.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Valero Energy has a 12 month low of $130.78 and a 12 month high of $320.24.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. The business had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.89 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Valero Energy will post 32.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total transaction of $2,011,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,294,212.14. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3,400.0% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 134.0% during the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Global Assets Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $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 (VLO) from $286 to $357 and kept a Buy rating, signaling meaningful upside versus the current share price.
• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler reaffirmed an Overweight rating and lifted its target to $329, also pointing to additional upside for the stock.
• Positive Sentiment: Several recent articles highlighted Valero as a strong momentum stock and a favorable pick versus Cenovus, which may be helping investor sentiment ahead of next week’s earnings report. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts expect earnings growth in Valero’s upcoming report, but one preview noted the setup does not look ideal for a likely earnings beat, suggesting expectations are already fairly balanced. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader energy-market headlines, including refinery and crude-flow shifts, may affect VLO’s operating backdrop, but they do not directly change Valero’s outlook on their own.

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.