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Valero Energy (VLO) Stock Forecast & Price Target

Valero Energy logo
$267.99 +0.23 (+0.09%)
Closing price 07/2/2026 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$268.43 +0.44 (+0.16%)
As of 07/2/2026 07:59 PM Eastern
Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Massive. Learn more.

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

Consensus Rating

Sell
1
Hold
8
Buy
12

Based on 21 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 21 analysts, 1 has given a sell rating, 8 have given a hold rating, 11 have given a buy rating, and 1 has given a strong buy rating for VLO.

Consensus Price Target

$247.59
-7.61% Downside
According to the 21 analysts' twelve-month price targets for Valero Energy, the average price target is $247.59. The highest price target for VLO is $292.00, while the lowest price target for VLO is $185.00. The average price target represents a forecasted downside of -7.61% from the current price of $267.99.
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
7/3/25 to 7/3/26
1 Month Ago
6/3/25 to 6/3/26
3 Months Ago
4/4/25 to 4/4/26
1 Year Ago
7/3/24 to 7/3/25
Strong Buy
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
2 Strong Buy rating(s)
Buy
11 Buy rating(s)
11 Buy rating(s)
8 Buy rating(s)
13 Buy rating(s)
Hold
8 Hold rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
10 Hold rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
Sell
1 Sell rating(s)
1 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Sell rating(s)
Consensus Price Target$247.59$243.65$210.80$150.88
Forecasted Upside-7.61% Downside-6.98% Downside-13.61% Downside5.11% Upside
Consensus RatingModerate BuyModerate BuyModerate BuyBuy

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.
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Valero Energy Stock vs. The Competition

TypeValero EnergyEnergy CompaniesBroader Market
Consensus Rating Score
2.57
2.39
2.52
Consensus RatingModerate BuyHoldModerate Buy
Predicted Upside-7.61% Downside59.13% Upside13.30% Upside
News Sentiment Rating
Positive News

See Recent VLO News
Positive News
Positive News
DateBrokerageAnalystActionRatingPrice TargetReport Date
Upside/Downside
Details
7/1/2026
Barclays PLC logo
Barclays
3 of 5 stars
Theresa Chen
Theresa Chen
4 of 5 stars
Boost TargetOverweight$261.00 ➝ $279.00+7.05%
6/29/2026
TD Cowen logo
TD Cowen
3 of 5 stars
Boost TargetHold$276.00 ➝ $292.00+7.66%
6/22/2026 DowngradeStrong-BuyHold
6/12/2026Boost TargetEqual Weight$232.00 ➝ $255.00-2.01%
6/11/2026Reiterated RatingBuy$280.00+7.86%
5/27/2026Boost TargetNeutral$222.00 ➝ $289.00+23.16%
5/4/2026 UpgradeHold (C)Buy (B-)
5/1/2026Boost TargetNeutral$246.00 ➝ $259.00+4.75%
4/22/2026Boost TargetSector Outperform$178.00 ➝ $226.00-3.39%
4/21/2026Reiterated RatingPeer PerformUnderperform$203.00-10.21%
4/8/2026Boost TargetOverweight$236.00 ➝ $263.00+10.14%
4/6/2026Boost TargetOutperform$230.00 ➝ $270.00+12.00%
3/31/2026Boost TargetOverweight$220.00 ➝ $292.00+16.69%
3/25/2026Boost TargetStrong-Buy$215.00 ➝ $290.00+22.94%
3/12/2026Boost TargetBuy$203.00 ➝ $237.00-0.77%
2/2/2026 UpgradeHold
1/8/2026Boost TargetOverweight$197.00 ➝ $200.00+5.03%
12/11/2025Reiterated RatingBuyNeutral$198.00 ➝ $195.00+10.74%
11/10/2025 Initiated CoverageBuy
10/10/2025Boost TargetBuy$181.00 ➝ $194.00+19.75%
9/19/2025Boost TargetIn-Line$135.00 ➝ $185.00+14.67%
2/4/2025UpgradeHoldStrong-Buy

Analyst ratings data on MarketBeat is provided by Benzinga and other data providers. This page was last refreshed on Friday at 08:38 PM 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 Thursday, July 2, 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.:

  • The company recently reported a revenue increase of 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year, indicating strong operational performance.
  • Valero Energy Co. has a solid return on equity of approximately 15.94%, suggesting effective management and profitability relative to shareholder equity.
  • The current stock price is around $236, which may present a favorable entry point for investors looking to capitalize on potential growth.
  • Valero Energy Co. has a quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, translating to an annualized dividend yield of about 1.9%, providing income to investors.
  • The company is actively involved in renewable fuels, including ethanol production, positioning it well in the growing green energy sector.

Valero Energy
Bear Case

red Wall Street bear icon

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

  • The net margin of 3.37% may indicate that the company faces challenges in maintaining profitability amidst fluctuating market conditions.
  • Valero Energy Co. has a relatively high payout ratio of 34.88%, which could limit its ability to reinvest in growth opportunities.
  • Recent insider selling, including a significant transaction by a senior vice president, may raise concerns about the company's future prospects.
  • As the energy sector faces increasing regulatory scrutiny and shifts towards sustainability, traditional refining operations may encounter headwinds.
  • Market analysts project earnings per share of 27.45 for the current fiscal year, which may not meet investor expectations if growth slows.

VLO Forecast - Frequently Asked Questions

According to the research reports of 21 Wall Street equities research analysts, the average twelve-month stock price forecast for Valero Energy is $247.59, with a high forecast of $292.00 and a low forecast of $185.00.

21 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, 11 buy ratings and 1 strong buy rating 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 -7.61% based on their 12-month stock forecasts.

Over the previous 90 days, Valero Energy's stock had 2 upgrades and 1 downgrade by analysts.

Valero Energy has been rated by research analysts at Barclays, BMO Capital Markets, Citigroup, Mizuho, Morgan Stanley, Piper Sandler, Scotiabank, TD Cowen, UBS Group, Weiss Ratings, Wolfe Research, and Zacks Research in the past 90 days.

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.


This page (NYSE:VLO) was last updated on 7/3/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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