Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at Erste Group Bank

Equities research 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 reports. The brokerage set a “buy” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on VLO. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Valero Energy from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Bank of America upgraded Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $152.00 to $179.00 in a research note on Wednesday, September 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Valero Energy from $181.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Raymond James Financial restated a “strong-buy” rating and set a $195.00 price objective (up from $181.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $183.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $179.53.

Valero Energy Trading Up 0.9%

NYSE:VLO traded up $1.55 on Monday, hitting $177.17. 538,957 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,099,199. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $164.33 and a 200-day moving average of $145.56. Valero Energy has a fifty-two week low of $99.00 and a fifty-two week high of $179.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a market cap of $54.04 billion, a PE ratio of 37.00, a PEG ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.01.

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

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

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