Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Given “Overweight” Rating at Piper Sandler

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating reissued by research analysts at Piper Sandler in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $329.00 price objective on the oil and gas company’s stock. Piper Sandler’s price target suggests a potential upside of 4.76% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Raymond James Financial lifted 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. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $203.00 price objective on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $261.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Valero Energy from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on Valero Energy from $222.00 to $289.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. One research 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $266.71.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $314.06 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $93.25 billion, a PE ratio of 22.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 0.55. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $262.98 and a 200-day moving average of $232.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.15. Valero Energy has a one year low of $130.78 and a one year 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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The business had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.89 EPS. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy will post 32.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other 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 value of $2,011,275.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at $5,294,212.14. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 0.6% in the first quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 6,670 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,648,000 after buying an additional 42 shares in the last quarter. M.E. Allison & CO. Inc. raised its stake in Valero Energy by 5.8% during the second quarter. M.E. Allison & CO. Inc. now owns 916 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $239,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 975 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $159,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 32.9% in the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 206 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gradient Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 4,810 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,253,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.