Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target Raised to $212.00 at Citigroup

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its price target hoisted by Citigroup from $190.00 to $212.00 in a research report issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Citigroup’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 4.84% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $216.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday. Barclays boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $169.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 17th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Valero Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $187.67.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of VLO traded down $0.46 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $202.22. 1,014,377 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,816,825. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.48, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.77. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $177.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $165.53. Valero Energy has a 1 year low of $99.00 and a 1 year high of $204.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valero Energy news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total transaction of $1,728,540.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 134,196 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,352,787.92. This represents a 6.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 70.2% in the 3rd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $27,000. Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Valero Energy by 1,277.8% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 248 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Wealth Strategies & Associates bought a new position in Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

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.