Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target Raised to $194.00

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group raised Valero Energy's target price from $181.00 to $194.00, suggesting a potential upside of 19.75% from its previous close, maintaining a "buy" rating on the stock.
• Multiple analysts have recently adjusted their ratings on Valero Energy, with Citigroup reducing their rating to "neutral," while others increased their price targets, reflecting a generally positive outlook for the company.
• Valero Energy reported $2.28 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations and indicating a decrease in revenue compared to the previous year.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by investment analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $181.00 to $194.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a "buy" rating on the oil and gas company's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's price target indicates a potential upside of 19.75% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on VLO. Citigroup cut Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $134.00 to $150.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Raymond James Financial boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $170.00 to $177.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 9th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $166.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Morgan Stanley cut Valero Energy from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Wolfe Research cut Valero Energy from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $169.80.

Valero Energy Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of VLO stock opened at $162.00 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.62, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. Valero Energy has a twelve month low of $99.00 and a twelve month high of $178.43. The company has a market capitalization of $50.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 67.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.05. The business's 50 day moving average is $152.95 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.74.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The oil and gas company reported $2.28 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.66 by $0.62. The firm had revenue of $29.89 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $27 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 5.76% and a net margin of 0.62%.The company's revenue for the quarter was down 13.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.71 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Focus Financial Network Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. Focus Financial Network Inc. now owns 2,136 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $364,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Centurion Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $533,000. Shelton Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $217,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $238,000. Finally, U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,499 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,788,000 after purchasing an additional 334 shares during the period. 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.