Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Upgraded by Argus to Hold Rating

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) was upgraded by research analysts at Argus to a “hold” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the company. Barclays raised their target price on 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 increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $216.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Erste Group Bank began coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Monday, November 10th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $183.53.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $197.34 on Monday. Valero Energy has a fifty-two week low of $99.00 and a fifty-two week high of $198.36. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $176.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $164.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company has a market cap of $60.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.77.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.55. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 12.34%. The business had revenue of $30.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 transaction of $1,728,540.66. Following 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. GFG Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 70.2% during the third 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. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter worth about $27,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1,277.8% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 248 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.