Wells Fargo & Company Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Stock

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its price target hoisted by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $485.00 to $489.00 in a research report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target indicates a potential upside of 15.40% from the company’s current price.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $395.00 to $414.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $365.00 to $457.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $255.00 to $411.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $323.00 to $441.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $386.12.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO traded down $2.52 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $423.76. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 182,374 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,284,022. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a market cap of $122.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 0.59. Valero Energy has a one year low of $159.90 and a one year high of $461.52. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $391.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $309.38.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 22nd. The oil and gas company reported $23.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $21.17 by $2.73. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 26.74% and a net margin of 5.17%. The business had revenue of $46.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $42.71 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.66 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 43.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy will post 52.55 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bank of America Corp DE grew its position in Valero Energy by 11.4% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,033,310 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,243,630,000 after acquiring an additional 516,975 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 9.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,969,320 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $733,660,000 after purchasing an additional 254,604 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 18.4% during the 1st quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,842,339 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $702,285,000 after purchasing an additional 442,177 shares in the last quarter. Amundi lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 45.3% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 2,584,976 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $638,695,000 after purchasing an additional 806,018 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 33.9% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,058,341 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $536,074,000 after purchasing an additional 520,642 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Valero reported third-quarter net income of approximately $6.8 billion, or $23.89 per share, compared with $1.1 billion, or $3.53 per share, a year earlier. Adjusted EPS of $23.90 exceeded the roughly $21.17 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 43.3% year over year to $46.1 billion. Valero Energy Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: The earnings surge was driven primarily by much stronger refining margins, tight fuel inventories and resilient demand. Renewable diesel and ethanol operations also improved, with ethanol production reaching a record level, supporting cash generation. Valero Q3 Earnings Surge Sixfold to $6.8 Billion on Refining Boom
• Positive Sentiment: Management expects fuel margins to strengthen again, suggesting near-term earnings momentum could persist despite efforts by the Trump administration to lower fuel prices. Valero also completed a key refining upgrade, potentially improving operating performance. Valero expects fuel margins to rise again
• Neutral Sentiment: Although results were substantially above expectations, lower throughput volumes show that earnings remain sensitive to refinery utilization, fuel demand and volatile commodity-market conditions. Valero Energy Q3 Earnings Top Estimates on Refining Strength
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target to $400 but maintained a Hold rating, implying downside from the recent trading level. The cautious stance suggests analysts may view the exceptional quarterly profit as cyclical rather than a sustainable new earnings baseline.

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation is an international energy company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. The company’s primary business is refining and marketing transportation fuels, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other products used by commercial, industrial and consumer customers.

Valero operates refineries in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Its refining operations also produce asphalt, petrochemical feedstocks and other petroleum-based products. The company markets fuel through wholesale channels and branded retail networks, including Valero, Beacon and Shamrock-branded locations.

In addition to conventional refining, Valero has businesses focused on renewable fuels.