Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Aug 17th, 2026

Shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO – Get Free Report) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one brokerages that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $288.00.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on VLO shares. Zacks Research upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Weiss Ratings raised Valero Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $259.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $279.00 to $323.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st.

View Our Latest Research Report on Valero Energy

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $341.36 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $283.92 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $248.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $98.29 billion, a PE ratio of 14.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.55. Valero Energy has a one year low of $135.01 and a one year high of $346.09.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.11 by $2.43. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 26.74% and a net margin of 5.17%.The firm had revenue of $44.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.28 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 48.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Valero Energy will post 40.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.92%.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total value of $2,011,275.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,294,212.14. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3,400.0% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 134.0% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

About Valero Energy

(Get Free Report)

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.