Brokerages Set Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) PT at $172.40

Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $173.63.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Barclays upped their price target on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $179.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Mizuho lowered shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $150.00 to $173.00 in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. TD Cowen raised their price target on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 1st.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $162.49 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.02 billion, a PE ratio of 6.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.54. Valero Energy has a 12-month low of $104.18 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $158.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $139.11.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.95 by $0.60. The business had revenue of $35.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.76 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 6.10% and a return on equity of 31.62%. Valero Energy’s quarterly revenue was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $8.45 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 17.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Deutsche Bank AG boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 5.8% in the 3rd quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 1,005,346 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $142,468,000 after buying an additional 55,351 shares in the last quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 49.7% in the 4th quarter. Stiles Financial Services Inc now owns 7,615 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $991,000 after purchasing an additional 2,529 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 14.0% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,788,994 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $362,569,000 after purchasing an additional 342,218 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 645,726 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $83,867,000 after purchasing an additional 18,575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 10.5% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 83,290 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $11,803,000 after purchasing an additional 7,910 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Company Profile

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.