Barclays Increases Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target to $141.00

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its target price raised by equities researchers at Barclays from $140.00 to $141.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Barclays‘s price target points to a potential upside of 8.06% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on VLO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Valero Energy from $152.00 to $147.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Scotiabank reduced their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $156.00 to $136.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $150.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 28th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $121.00 to $118.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $149.60.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO stock traded up $7.55 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $130.48. 4,135,078 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,030,562. The firm has a market cap of $40.87 billion, a PE ratio of 15.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $120.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $128.42. Valero Energy has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $167.78.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The oil and gas company reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.16 by ($0.27). Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. The firm had revenue of $28.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.54 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.82 earnings per share. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 368,454 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $49,752,000 after acquiring an additional 3,065 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 68,642 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $8,415,000 after acquiring an additional 3,378 shares during the period. EWG Elevate Inc. bought a new position in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $438,000. Fiduciary Alliance LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 14.1% in the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 3,044 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $373,000 after buying an additional 376 shares during the period. Finally, Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 7.4% in the 4th quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 1,778 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $218,000 after buying an additional 122 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.