Barclays Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Stock

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its price objective lifted by equities researchers at Barclays from $261.00 to $279.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Barclays‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 7.05% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $280.00 price target on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, June 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $203.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $247.59.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of VLO opened at $260.62 on Wednesday. Valero Energy has a 52-week low of $130.78 and a 52-week high of $272.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.58. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $247.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $218.91. The firm has a market cap of $77.39 billion, a PE ratio of 18.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 0.55.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.89 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy will post 27.45 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total transaction of $2,011,275.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,294,212.14. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3,400.0% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 134.0% during the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Finally, Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Company Profile

Valero Energy Corporation is a San Antonio, Texas–based integrated downstream energy company that manufactures and markets transportation fuels, petrochemical feedstocks and other industrial products. The company’s operations focus on refining crude oil into finished fuels such as gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as producing asphalt and other refined product streams for commercial and industrial customers.

In addition to refining, Valero has significant operations in renewable fuels, including the production of ethanol and other biofuels, and it manages an extensive logistics network of pipelines, terminals, rail and marine assets to move feedstocks and finished products.