Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target Raised to $420.00

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its target price lifted by Morgan Stanley from $411.00 to $420.00 in a research note published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an equal weight rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

VLO has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Valero Energy from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $467.00 price target on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $485.00 to $489.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Raymond James Financial increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $350.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $380.47.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $365.11 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $105.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.20 and a beta of 0.58. The business’s 50 day moving average is $399.58 and its 200-day moving average is $287.97. The company has a current ratio of 1.72, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Valero Energy has a 1-year low of $159.90 and a 1-year high of $461.52.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The oil and gas company reported $23.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $21.17 by $2.73. The business had revenue of $46.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $42.71 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 45.90% and a net margin of 8.44%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 43.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.66 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 57.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 21st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 24th will be issued a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 24th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 10.80%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $1,195,943,000. Amundi boosted its position in Valero Energy by 45.3% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 2,584,976 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $638,695,000 after purchasing an additional 806,018 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in Valero Energy by 33.9% during the second quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,058,341 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $536,074,000 after purchasing an additional 520,642 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LP purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter worth about $59,917,000. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 18.4% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,842,339 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $702,285,000 after purchasing an additional 442,177 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Key Valero Energy News

Here are the key news stories impacting Valero Energy this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Valero agreed to acquire a Houston refining site for $320.5 million and plans to restart 165,000 barrels per day of capacity by 2027. The deal could expand its Gulf Coast operations and refining capacity. Valero to Acquire Houston Refining Site, Plans 165,000 BPD Restart
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted strong third-quarter results supported by refining margins and favorable energy-market conditions, providing a positive earnings backdrop. The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Phillips 66, Valero Energy and HF Sinclair
• Neutral Sentiment: A report attributed weakness across refiners—including Valero—to an oil-stock selloff following Democrats’ Senate win. The article described a sector-wide move, rather than a Valero-specific catalyst. Oil Stocks Slide After Democrats Win the Senate
• Negative Sentiment: Valero experienced a sharp single-session decline, with the report estimating roughly $8 billion in market value erased. This added to pressure from the broader energy-sector selloff. Valero Energy Drops in a Single Session

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation is an international energy company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. The company’s primary business is refining and marketing transportation fuels, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other products used by commercial, industrial and consumer customers.

Valero operates refineries in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Its refining operations also produce asphalt, petrochemical feedstocks and other petroleum-based products. The company markets fuel through wholesale channels and branded retail networks, including Valero, Beacon and Shamrock-branded locations.

In addition to conventional refining, Valero has businesses focused on renewable fuels.