Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation, ten have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $174.40.

VLO has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $161.00 to $198.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Scotiabank increased 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 report on Thursday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Bank of America upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the company from $156.00 to $210.00 in a research report on Friday, March 15th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 8.2% during the first quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 19,666 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $3,357,000 after buying an additional 1,495 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $417,000. Midwest Professional Planners LTD. purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,015,000. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 5.3% in the first quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 25,408 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $4,337,000 after purchasing an additional 1,268 shares during the period. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 14.8% in the first quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 403,073 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $68,801,000 after purchasing an additional 51,991 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

NYSE VLO traded up $1.80 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $158.87. 1,657,927 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,227,465. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.59. The business's 50 day moving average is $164.05 and its 200-day moving average is $142.29. The company has a market capitalization of $51.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.55. Valero Energy has a 1 year low of $105.66 and a 1 year high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.64. The company had revenue of $31.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $8.27 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 18.02 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.