Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target Raised to $300.00

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its target price hoisted by Mizuho from $289.00 to $300.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on VLO. Jefferies Financial Group set a $350.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Monday. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $279.00 to $323.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $286.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. TD Cowen raised their price target on Valero Energy from $338.00 to $350.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Raymond James Financial lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $288.00.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $302.60 on Tuesday. Valero Energy has a 12-month low of $130.78 and a 12-month high of $320.24. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $275.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $242.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.56, a PEG ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 0.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.11 by $2.43. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.17% and a return on equity of 26.74%. The company had revenue of $44.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.28 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 48.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Valero Energy will post 39.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is 19.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 value of $2,011,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,294,212.14. This represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Simplicity Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 984.8% in the second quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC now owns 15,394 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,009,000 after buying an additional 13,975 shares during the period. Trivium Point Advisory LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 9.1% during the second quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC now owns 1,496 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $390,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 25.2% during the second quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 4,591 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,196,000 after acquiring an additional 923 shares during the period. Continuum Advisory LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $195,000. Finally, Heritage Trust Co raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. Heritage Trust Co now owns 16,193 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $4,217,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Key Valero Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded VLO to Rank #1, or “Strong Buy.” The upgrade reflects improving expectations for Valero’s earnings and could attract additional near-term buying interest. VLO was also added to Zacks’ strong-buy lists for growth, value and income investors. Zacks Strong Buy Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target to $350. The higher target indicates the firm sees further appreciation potential from current levels and adds to the constructive analyst sentiment surrounding VLO. TD Cowen Raises Valero Price Target
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary point to Valero’s advantages from relatively cheaper crude, flexible feedstock sourcing and a strong balance sheet. These factors can support refining margins and earnings resilience. Valero Stock Premium Valuation Analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street’s bullish average recommendation supports the investment case, but the articles caution that sell-side ratings can be overly optimistic and should not be used alone. Wall Street Views on Valero
• Negative Sentiment: Valero trades at approximately 6.44 times trailing EBITDA versus an industry average of 5.77 times. The premium valuation raises the risk that much of the favorable refining outlook is already reflected in the stock. Valero Premium Valuation Analysis

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.