Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Hits New 52-Week High on Analyst Upgrade

Posted by Brian Himes on Oct 15th, 2026

Shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO – Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on the stock from $389.00 to $485.00. Wells Fargo & Company currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Valero Energy traded as high as $450.22 and last traded at $445.6490, with a volume of 375,738 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $436.00.

A number of other research firms also recently weighed in on VLO. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $467.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Weiss Ratings raised Valero Energy from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $329.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, September 3rd. Bank of America lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $395.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $382.62.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Valero Energy

Valero Energy News Summary

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

Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target from $389 to $485 and upgraded its stance to “Overweight,” implying further upside. Wells Fargo analyst action
Positive Sentiment: Citigroup increased its target sharply from $302 to $485. Although Citi retained a “Neutral” rating, the revised target reflects a significantly stronger valuation outlook. Citigroup raises Valero price target
Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised its FY2026 EPS forecast to $51.71 from $48.02 and its FY2027 forecast to $42.23 from $36.86. The FY2026 estimate is slightly above the broader $51.31 consensus. Erste Group earnings estimates
Positive Sentiment: Recent commentary points to a return to substantial profitability, helped by sturdy fuel demand and tighter refined-product supply. Valero also beat its latest quarterly EPS consensus estimate by $2.43, while revenue rose 48.8% year over year. What Did Valero Stock Investors Miss Before the Run?
Positive Sentiment: Zacks added VLO to its Rank #1 “Strong Buy” growth-stock list and identified it as a relatively low-beta energy pick amid market volatility. Zacks growth stocks list
Neutral Sentiment: Despite the bullish target revisions, Citi and DBS maintain “Neutral” or “Hold” ratings, suggesting analysts see limited risk-adjusted upside after the substantial rally. Mizuho’s revised target of $434 is below the current trading level. DBS maintains Hold rating
Negative Sentiment: Oil prices remain exposed to conflicting forces, including Middle East disruptions, OPEC demand concerns and a potential U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve release. These factors could increase volatility in refining margins and Valero’s earnings outlook. Oil market risks

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Moore Capital Management LP bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter worth $13,193,000. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 192,430 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $47,546,000 after buying an additional 7,702 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 5.5% during the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 58,558 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $15,251,000 after acquiring an additional 3,037 shares during the period. TrueMark Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter worth about $8,921,000. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 377.1% during the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 413,437 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $102,152,000 after purchasing an additional 326,777 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $132.35 billion, a PE ratio of 19.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.64. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $377.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $301.37.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.11 by $2.43. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.17% and a return on equity of 26.74%. The company had revenue of $44.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.47 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.28 EPS. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 48.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 51.77 EPS for the current year.

About Valero Energy

(Get Free Report)

Valero Energy Corporation is an international petroleum refining, renewable fuels and marketing company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Founded in 1980, the company processes crude oil and other feedstocks into transportation fuels and other products used by commercial, industrial and consumer customers.

Valero’s refined products include gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt, lubricants and petrochemical feedstocks. The company also produces and markets ethanol and renewable diesel, including through its Diamond Green Diesel joint venture with Darling Ingredients.