Valero Energy’s (VLO) Strong-Buy Rating Reiterated at Raymond James Financial

Raymond James Financial reissued their strong-buy rating on shares of Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $195.00 price target on the oil and gas company’s stock, up from their prior price target of $181.00.

VLO has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Citigroup lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price target for the company from $134.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Valero Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 14th. UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $183.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and upped their price target for the company from $118.00 to $140.00 in a research note on Tuesday, July 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $179.27.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of VLO stock opened at $170.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.60. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $158.99 and its 200-day moving average is $141.05. The stock has a market cap of $53.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.68, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.05. Valero Energy has a 52-week low of $99.00 and a 52-week high of $178.43.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.51. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.21% and a return on equity of 8.69%. The company had revenue of $32.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.14 EPS. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. First Horizon Corp acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $275,000. MGO One Seven LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5.6% during the 3rd quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 24,745 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $4,213,000 after purchasing an additional 1,302 shares in the last quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 20.7% during the 3rd quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 5,957 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,014,000 after acquiring an additional 1,023 shares during the period. Tema Etfs LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,669,000. Finally, IRON Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $272,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Company Profile

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.