Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target Increased to $165.00 by Analysts at Wells Fargo & Company

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its price objective boosted by investment analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $156.00 to $165.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “equal weight” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target would suggest a potential upside of 4.90% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on VLO. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Scotiabank raised their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $173.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $172.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Mizuho raised Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $165.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $172.07.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $157.30 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $51.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.79, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.42. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $153.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $152.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy has a 12 month low of $119.88 and a 12 month high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The oil and gas company reported $2.71 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $34.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.97 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.82% and a net margin of 5.01%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $5.40 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 13.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Valero Energy news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following the transaction, the director now owns 13,314 shares in the company, valued at $2,105,209.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VLO. EdgeRock Capital LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. 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.