Q1 EPS Estimates for Valero Energy Lifted by Zacks Research

Key Points

• Zacks Research has revised its Q1 2026 earnings per share estimate for Valero Energy to $1.44, slightly up from a previous estimate of $1.43, with the full-year estimate at $7.92 per share.
• Valero Energy recently reported earnings of $2.28 per share for the last quarter, exceeding the consensus estimate of $1.66, despite a 13.3% decline in revenue year-over-year.
• Bank of America upgraded Valero Energy to a "buy" rating and increased its price target from $152.00 to $179.00, reflecting positive sentiment from analysts regarding the stock's performance.

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) - Zacks Research increased their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of Valero Energy in a report issued on Wednesday, September 3rd. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the oil and gas company will post earnings of $1.44 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.43. The consensus estimate for Valero Energy's current full-year earnings is $7.92 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Valero Energy's Q2 2026 earnings at $3.21 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.18 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $6.83 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.60 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $11.13 EPS.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The oil and gas company reported $2.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.66 by $0.62. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 5.76% and a net margin of 0.62%.The company had revenue of $29.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $27 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.71 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 13.3% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on VLO. Bank of America upgraded Valero Energy from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $152.00 to $179.00 in a report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Valero Energy from $159.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $135.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Valero Energy from $151.00 to $168.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Citigroup lowered Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their target price for the company from $134.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $156.40.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO opened at $155.37 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $48.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 64.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 1.62 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $142.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $131.84. Valero Energy has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $159.26.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 31st were paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, July 31st. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 188.33%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 276.9% during the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,795,436 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,425,754,000 after buying an additional 7,931,018 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $827,390,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 12.0% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,881,222 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $5,135,043,000 after buying an additional 4,155,522 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth $529,864,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 15,395.5% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,355,699 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $179,047,000 after buying an additional 1,346,950 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.