Morgan Stanley Boosts Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target to $222.00

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley raised its Valero price target from $182 to $222 while maintaining an equal weight rating; that target implies roughly a 4.9% downside from the current share price.
• Other brokers have pushed targets higher (Wells Fargo to $292, Goldman to $237, BMO to $270, Scotiabank to $226), leaving MarketBeat's consensus at a Moderate Buy with an average target of $230.65.
• VLO traded around $233.37, has a $69.78B market cap and a PE of 30.6, recently beat quarterly EPS estimates ($3.82 vs. $3.27), and faces an upcoming earnings report as the primary near‑term catalyst.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by Morgan Stanley from $182.00 to $222.00 in a research note issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "equal weight" rating on the oil and gas company's stock. Morgan Stanley's price target indicates a potential downside of 4.87% from the company's current price.

Several other analysts also recently commented on VLO. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $220.00 to $292.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $230.65.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock traded down $0.47 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $233.37. The company's stock had a trading volume of 607,242 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,763,012. The company has a 50 day moving average of $227.84 and a 200 day moving average of $193.43. The stock has a market cap of $69.78 billion, a PE ratio of 30.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. Valero Energy has a 12-month low of $112.00 and a 12-month high of $258.43.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $30.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.20 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 12.35%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 19.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 8,311 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.69, for a total transaction of $1,892,331.59. Following the completion of 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $27,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. AXS Investments LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. raised its position in Valero Energy by 157.0% during the fourth quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 203 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. Finally, Cypress Capital Management LLC WY purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $34,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Valero Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded VLO from "hold" to "strong‑buy," which can attract buying interest and supports further upside expectations. Zacks Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks publishes a separate note saying Valero has the setup for an earnings beat next week (favorable estimates and catalysts), reinforcing bullish expectations ahead of the print. Zacks Earnings Preview
• Neutral Sentiment: Scotiabank raised its price target to $226 and moved to "sector outperform" — a constructive analyst action, but the new target sits near the current level, offering limited incremental upside. Scotiabank PT Raise
• Neutral Sentiment: VLO is a trending search/interest stock on Zacks/Yahoo — increased retail attention can boost volume and volatility but is not a directional fundamental driver by itself. Trending Stock Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Market reminder: Valero is scheduled to report quarterly results next week, making the earnings print the primary near‑term catalyst for the stock. Earnings Date Note
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research reiterated an "Underperform" rating, which adds downside pressure from institutional-sellside skepticism and may temper investor enthusiasm. Wolfe Research Note

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.

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