Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target Raised to $290.00

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its target price boosted by stock analysts at Raymond James Financial from $215.00 to $290.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “strong-buy” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Raymond James Financial’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 23.17% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Argus upgraded Valero Energy to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Zacks Research cut shares of Valero Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $199.53.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Valero Energy stock traded down $6.30 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $235.45. 1,736,065 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,880,685. Valero Energy has a one year low of $99.00 and a one year high of $247.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $205.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $182.18.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.55. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 12.35%. The company had revenue of $30.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.64 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 8,311 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.69, for a total transaction of $1,892,331.59. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 42,242 shares in the company, valued at $9,618,080.98. The trade was a 16.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.37% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $27,000. Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. AXS Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 157.0% in the 4th quarter. University of Texas Texas AM Investment Management Co. now owns 203 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Raymond James sharply raised its price target to $290 (from $215) and kept a Strong Buy rating — a high?profile upgrade that can attract buying interest and lift sentiment. Why Raymond James Is Calling for a $290 Price Tag on Valero (VLO)
• Positive Sentiment: Macro/sector tailwinds favor refiners: higher oil volatility and widening crack spreads boost refining margins, and recent commentary highlights Valero’s scale, Q4 throughput strength, dividend and strategic moves (e.g., California exit) that underpin a bullish case. Energy Stocks Surge on Oil Spike: Buy, Hold, or Take Profits?
• Neutral Sentiment: Local law enforcement says there’s no evidence the Port Arthur blast was intentional — this reduces one tail risk (criminal/terrorism angle) but doesn’t remove outage/repair uncertainty. No evidence Valero Texas refinery blast caused by intentional act, sheriff’s office
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports indicate Valero is preparing to restart the 380,000 bpd Port Arthur refinery this week — a positive sign for recovery but timing, partial capacity and inspection outcomes remain uncertain. Valero prepares restart of Port Arthur, Texas oil refinery after blast, sources say
• Negative Sentiment: A major explosion and fire forced a full temporary shutdown of the Port Arthur refinery — the outage creates near?term lost production, potential repair costs and margin volatility while inspections continue. Valero shuts Texas refinery after explosion, sources say
• Negative Sentiment: A company filing said a fluid release ignited the blast — that detail may prompt regulator scrutiny, remediation costs and longer?term operational reviews. Fluid release ignited blast, fire at Valero refinery, filing shows

About Valero Energy

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.