Valero Energy's (VLO) "Hold (C)" Rating Reiterated at Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• Valero Energy has received a "hold (c)" rating from Weiss Ratings, with three analysts rating it a Strong Buy, nine a Buy, and six a Hold.
• Several firms have adjusted price targets for Valero, with JPMorgan Chase raising it to $197.00 and Jefferies setting a target of $194.00 while still maintaining a Buy rating.
• Valero reported $3.66 EPS for the latest quarter, exceeding the consensus estimate by $0.51, though revenue fell 2.2% year-over-year.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "hold (c)" rating reiterated by analysts at Weiss Ratings in a research note issued on Friday,Weiss Ratings reports.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $177.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley downgraded Valero Energy from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and increased their price target for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $181.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $166.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $183.00 price target on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Friday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $179.27.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO traded down $0.44 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $172.69. 1,262,376 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,157,901. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $158.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $140.18. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 72.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 1.05. Valero Energy has a one year low of $99.00 and a one year high of $178.43.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.15 by $0.51. Valero Energy had a net margin of 0.62% and a return on equity of 5.76%. The firm had revenue of $32.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.14 EPS. The company's revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Associated Banc Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. Associated Banc Corp now owns 1,698 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $289,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $91,000. Avion Wealth increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 16.7% in the 3rd quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 741 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 44,698 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $7,610,000 after buying an additional 320 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $215,000. 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.

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