Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target Raised to $289.00 at Mizuho

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its price objective boosted by investment analysts at Mizuho from $222.00 to $289.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Mizuho’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 23.02% from the stock’s current price.

VLO has been the subject of a number of other reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Valero Energy from $220.00 to $292.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Argus upgraded shares of Valero Energy to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $215.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $182.00 to $222.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $203.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $243.65.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE:VLO opened at $234.92 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a market capitalization of $69.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 0.58. Valero Energy has a 12 month low of $125.10 and a 12 month high of $263.75. The business’s 50-day moving average is $242.34 and its 200 day moving average is $205.82.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The business had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.38 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.89 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 26.51 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 8,311 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.69, for a total value of $1,892,331.59. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 42,242 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,618,080.98. This represents a 16.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Woodline Partners LP increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 40.7% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 26,747 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,532,000 after acquiring an additional 7,735 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 13.0% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,929 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL bought a new position in Valero Energy in the second quarter worth approximately $528,000. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 11.3% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 269,043 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $36,165,000 after purchasing an additional 27,291 shares during the period. Finally, Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its position in Valero Energy by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 145,810 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $19,600,000 after purchasing an additional 1,338 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.