Piper Sandler Increases Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target to $223.00

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its price target upped by equities research analysts at Piper Sandler from $201.00 to $223.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Piper Sandler’s price objective suggests a potential upside of 22.78% from the company’s previous close.

VLO has been the topic of a number of other reports. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Valero Energy from $181.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 10th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $183.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley downgraded Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $177.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $181.00.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $181.63 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $55.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.01. Valero Energy has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $183.93. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $166.75 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $147.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.09.

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

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Waddell & Associates LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 2.8% in the third quarter. Waddell & Associates LLC now owns 2,040 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $347,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. DSG Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.6% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. Cypress Capital Group increased its holdings in shares of 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 worth $3,199,000 after buying an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised 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 buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Becker Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc. now owns 11,837 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,015,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.