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Valero Energy (VLO) Stock Forecast & Price Target

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$377.82 -5.04 (-1.32%)
As of 11:56 AM Eastern
This is a fair market value price provided by Massive. Learn more.

Valero Energy - Analysts' Recommendations and Stock Price Forecast (2026)

Consensus Rating

Sell
1
Hold
8
Buy
11

Based on 20 Wall Street analysts who have issued ratings for Valero Energy in the last 12 months, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy." Out of the 20 analysts, 1 has given a sell rating, 8 have given a hold rating, 9 have given a buy rating, and 2 have given a strong buy rating for VLO.

Consensus Price Target

$335.13
-11.30% Downside
According to the 20 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Valero Energy, the average price target is $335.13. The highest price target for VLO is $457.00, while the lowest price target for VLO is $195.00. The average price target represents a forecasted downside of -11.30% from the current price of $377.82.
MarketBeat calculates consensus analyst ratings for stocks using the most recent rating from each Wall Street analyst that has rated a stock within the last twelve months. Each analyst's rating is normalized to a standardized rating score of 1 (sell), 2 (hold), 3 (buy) or 4 (strong buy). Analyst consensus ratings scores are calculated using the mean average of the number of normalized sell, hold, buy and strong buy ratings from Wall Street analysts. Each stock's consensus analyst rating is derived from its calculated consensus ratings score (0 to .5 = Strong Sell, .5 to 1 = Sell, 1 to 1.5 = Reduce, 1.5 to 2.5 = Hold, 2.5 to 3.0 = Moderate Buy, 3.0 to 3.5 = Buy, >3.5 = Strong Buy). MarketBeat's consensus price targets are a mean average of the most recent available price targets set by each analyst that has set a price target for the stock in the last twelve months. MarketBeat's consensus ratings and consensus price targets may differ from those calculated by other firms due to differences in methodology and available data.
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VLO Analyst Ratings Over Time

TypeCurrent Forecast
9/25/25 to 9/25/26
1 Month Ago
8/26/25 to 8/26/26
3 Months Ago
6/27/25 to 6/27/26
1 Year Ago
9/25/24 to 9/25/25
Strong Buy
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
9 Buy rating(s)
11 Buy rating(s)
11 Buy rating(s)
11 Buy rating(s)
Hold
8 Hold rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
8 Hold rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
Sell
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$335.13$288.00$245.59$165.00
Forecasted Upside-11.30% Downside-17.40% Downside-5.20% Downside-5.51% Downside
Consensus RatingModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate Buy

VLO Analyst Recommendations By Month

The chart below shows how a company's ratings by analysts have changed over time. Each bar represents the previous year of ratings for that month. Within each bar, the sell ratings are shown in red, the hold ratings are shown in yellow, the buy ratings are shown in green, and the strong buy ratings are shown in dark green.
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VLO Price Targets by Month

The chart below shows how a company's share price and consensus price target have changed over time. The dark blue line represents the company's actual price. The lighter blue line represents the stock's consensus price target. The even lighter blue range in the background of the two lines represents the low price target and the high price target for each stock.
Skip Chart and View Analyst Price Target HistorySkip Chart & View Price History Table

Valero Energy Stock vs. The Competition

TypeValero EnergyEnergy CompaniesBroader Market
Consensus Rating Score
2.60
2.45
2.53
Consensus RatingModerate BuyHoldModerate Buy
Predicted Upside-12.46% Downside39.42% Upside19.68% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent VLO News
Positive News
Positive News
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
9/23/2026
Neil Mehta
5 of 5 stars
Boost TargetBuy$365.00 ➝ $457.00+21.27%
9/22/2026
Lloyd Byrne
Lloyd Byrne
3 of 5 stars
Reiterated RatingBuy ➝ Hold$401.00+1.85%
9/14/2026
Justin Jenkins
Justin Jenkins
5 of 5 stars
Boost TargetStrong-Buy$350.00 ➝ $450.00+17.82%
9/14/2026Boost TargetEqual Weight$255.00 ➝ $411.00+7.17%
9/8/2026Boost TargetBuy$355.00 ➝ $450.00+18.32%
9/3/2026Boost TargetOverweight$329.00 ➝ $435.00+17.19%
9/1/2026Boost TargetOverweight$356.00 ➝ $389.00+8.90%
8/27/2026 DowngradeBuy ➝ Hold
8/6/2026 UpgradeBuy (B-) ➝ Buy (B)
8/4/2026 UpgradeHold ➝ Strong-Buy
8/4/2026Boost TargetNeutral$289.00 ➝ $300.00-2.57%
8/3/2026Boost TargetHold$338.00 ➝ $350.00+11.86%
7/31/2026Boost TargetOverweight$279.00 ➝ $323.00+3.33%
7/14/2026Boost TargetNeutral$259.00 ➝ $302.00+1.56%
4/22/2026Boost TargetSector Outperform$178.00 ➝ $226.00-3.39%
4/21/2026Reiterated RatingPeer Perform ➝ Underperform$203.00-10.21%
4/6/2026Boost TargetOutperform$230.00 ➝ $270.00+12.00%
2/2/2026 UpgradeHold
1/8/2026Boost TargetOverweight$197.00 ➝ $200.00+5.03%
12/11/2025Reiterated RatingBuy ➝ Neutral$198.00 ➝ $195.00+10.74%
9/19/2025Boost TargetIn-Line$135.00 ➝ $185.00+14.67%
2/4/2025UpgradeHold ➝ Strong-Buy

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Friday at 11:56 AM ET.


Should I Buy Valero Energy Stock? VLO Pros and Cons Explained

These pros and cons were generated based on recent news and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate insights. They were last updated on Wednesday, September 23, 2026. Please send any questions or comments about these Valero Energy pros and cons to contact@marketbeat.com.

Valero Energy
Bull Case

green Wall Street bull icon

Here are some ways that investors could benefit from investing in Valero Energy Co.:

  • Valero Energy Co. recently delivered a significant earnings beat in its most recent quarterly report, posting actual earnings per share of $12.54 compared to the consensus estimate of $10.11, which demonstrates strong profitability and operational efficiency that can drive shareholder value.
  • Goldman Sachs recently raised its price target for Valero Energy Co. from $365.00 to $457.00 while maintaining a Buy rating, indicating that major institutional investors see substantial upside potential relative to the current stock price of $376.39.
  • The company has shown consistent revenue growth, with the most recent quarter reporting a year-over-year revenue increase of 48.8%, suggesting that Valero Energy Co. is successfully expanding its market share and capitalizing on favorable industry conditions.
  • Valero Energy Co. maintains a strong balance sheet with a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37 and a current ratio of 1.64, which provides financial stability and the ability to invest in growth opportunities or return capital to shareholders through dividends and buybacks.
  • Analysts have consistently raised their full-year earnings estimates for Valero Energy Co., with the consensus estimate for current full-year earnings at $48.58 per share, reflecting growing confidence in the company's ability to sustain high performance levels throughout the year.

Valero Energy
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

Investors should be bearish about investing in Valero Energy Co. for these reasons:

  • Jefferies recently downgraded Valero Energy Co. from Buy to Hold, citing a desire to reduce refining exposure after significant gains, which suggests that some analysts believe the stock may be overvalued or that the sector faces near-term headwinds.
  • Short interest in Valero Energy Co. has been increasing, with the most recent data showing a month-to-month change of 2.56% and a short percentage of float of 3.45%, indicating that a portion of the market is betting against the stock's future performance.
  • Valero Energy Co. has experienced recent volatility, with the stock falling 4.10% in a recent trading session, which may signal uncertainty or profit-taking among investors after a period of strong gains.
  • Some prominent investors, such as Steve Weiss, have exited their positions in Valero Energy Co. after realizing gains, citing long-term skepticism about energy stocks, which could indicate a lack of confidence in the sector's long-term outlook.
  • The company's stock price has risen significantly from its 52-week low of $155.29 to the current price of $376.39, which may raise concerns about whether the stock is overextended and vulnerable to a correction if market conditions change.

VLO Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 20 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Valero Energy is $335.13, with a high forecast of $457.00 and a low forecast of $195.00.

20 Wall Street analysts have issued "buy," "hold," and "sell" ratings for Valero Energy in the last twelve months. There is currently 1 sell rating, 8 hold ratings, 9 buy ratings and 2 strong buy ratings for the stock. The consensus among Wall Street analysts is that investors should "moderate buy" VLO shares.

According to analysts, Valero Energy's stock has a predicted downside of -11.30% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Valero Energy's stock had 3 upgrades and 2 downgrades by analysts.

Analysts like Valero Energy more than other "energy" companies. The consensus rating for Valero Energy is Moderate Buy while the average consensus rating for "energy" companies is Hold. Learn more on how VLO compares to other companies.


MarketBeat monitors more than a dozen sources for Valero Energy analyst ratings, with the most recent rating issued on 9/23/2026.
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