Mizuho Boosts Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target to $176.00

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) had its target price increased by stock analysts at Mizuho from $173.00 to $176.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "neutral" rating on the oil and gas company's stock. Mizuho's price target points to a potential upside of 12.89% from the stock's current price.

VLO has been the subject of a number of other reports. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "sector outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Raymond James raised their target price on Valero Energy from $154.00 to $155.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $171.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. UBS Group increased their price target on Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $174.60.

Valero Energy Stock Down 0.1 %

VLO traded down $0.23 during trading on Monday, hitting $155.90. The company had a trading volume of 1,510,430 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,196,057. Valero Energy has a 1-year low of $105.66 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.10. The company has a market cap of $50.98 billion, a PE ratio of 7.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.55. The business has a 50-day moving average of $164.65 and a 200-day moving average of $142.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.64. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. The firm had revenue of $31.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $8.27 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 18.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following the transaction, the director now owns 13,314 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,105,209.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in VLO. BKM Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at $28,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the first quarter worth $33,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Finally, First Foundation Advisors bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company's stock.

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, Mexico, Peru, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol.