Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Now Covered by Erste Group Bank

Analysts at Erste Group Bank initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage set a “buy” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

VLO has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $216.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Bank of America raised shares of Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $152.00 to $179.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. Barclays raised their target price on Valero Energy from $151.00 to $169.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $183.00 price target on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $181.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $179.53.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of VLO traded up $1.55 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $177.17. 538,957 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,099,199. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.09. Valero Energy has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $179.10. The company has a market cap of $54.04 billion, a PE ratio of 37.00, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $164.33 and a 200 day simple moving average of $145.56.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of VLO. DSG Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. DSG Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,803 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $647,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Cypress Capital Group grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.3% during the third quarter. Cypress Capital Group now owns 18,786 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,199,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 2.0% during the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 3,381 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $576,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its position in Valero Energy by 70.2% in the 3rd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Broadway Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 1,864 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $251,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by 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.