Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target Raised to $357.00

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its target price boosted by analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $286.00 to $357.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. The Goldman Sachs Group’s target price suggests a potential upside of 14.59% from the company’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Barclays increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $261.00 to $279.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $203.00 price target on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $292.00 to $338.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $280.00 price objective on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, June 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $262.82.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO traded down $3.27 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $311.53. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,231,228 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,467,265. Valero Energy has a 52-week low of $130.78 and a 52-week high of $320.24. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $261.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $231.89. The company has a market capitalization of $92.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.58.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. The business had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.89 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 32.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total transaction of $2,011,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,294,212.14. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3,400.0% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 134.0% in the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at $27,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company’s operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.