Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target Raised to $323.00

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Jul 31st, 2026

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO – Get Free Report) had its price target increased by stock analysts at Barclays from $279.00 to $323.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Barclays‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 3.33% from the company’s previous close.

VLO has been the subject of several other research reports. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $259.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $280.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Valero Energy from $286.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Finally, Wolfe Research reissued an “underperform” rating and set a $203.00 price objective on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $269.29.

View Our Latest Research Report on Valero Energy

Valero Energy Stock Up 3.7%

Shares of VLO stock opened at $312.60 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The stock has a market cap of $92.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.72, a P/E/G ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 0.55. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $269.31 and a 200 day moving average of $238.16. Valero Energy has a twelve month low of $130.78 and a twelve month high of $320.24.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.13 by $2.41. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The firm had revenue of $44.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $39.47 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.28 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 48.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy will post 36.64 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,111,542,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $275,239,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 2,635.7% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 950,527 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $154,736,000 after purchasing an additional 915,782 shares in the last quarter. Amundi boosted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 806,018 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 49.3% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,696,811 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $276,224,000 after buying an additional 560,116 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Valero Energy News

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

Positive Sentiment: Record earnings significantly exceeded expectations. Valero reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $12.54 per share, above the $10.13 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 48.8% year over year to $44.48 billion. Net income reached $3.7 billion, or $12.62 per share, compared with $714 million a year earlier. Valero Energy beats quarterly profit estimates on higher refining margins
Positive Sentiment: Refining performance was the main catalyst. Higher margins, sturdy fuel demand and increased U.S. fuel exports—partly supported by Middle East tensions—boosted profitability. Management also highlighted gains in renewable diesel and ethanol, strengthening both earnings and cash flow. Valero Energy Q2 2026 earnings call transcript
Positive Sentiment: Lower-cost feedstocks provided an additional margin benefit. Reports noted that access to less-expensive Venezuelan feedstocks aided the quarter’s profitability, contributing to Valero’s highest-ever second-quarter profit. Valero posts highest-ever Q2 profit
Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns remain supportive. Valero reaffirmed its quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, payable August 31 to shareholders of record July 31. Analysts also continue to identify VLO as a beneficiary of tight fuel supplies, steady demand and improving refining-sector earnings. Valero dividend analysis
Neutral Sentiment: Analyst estimates for fiscal 2026 are being updated following the earnings beat, but the stock’s valuation reflects strong, potentially cyclical refining profits. Future performance will depend heavily on margins, fuel demand and export conditions. Analysts issue Valero Energy FY2026 forecasts
Negative Sentiment: Management said tax-credit changes and registration hurdles have slowed biofuel imports, complicating compliance with renewable-fuel blending mandates and creating uncertainty for the renewable fuels business. Valero discusses biofuel import hurdles

About Valero Energy

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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.