Analysts Set Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) PT at $296.18

Shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-one brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have assigned a hold recommendation, ten have issued a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $301.7647.

Several equities analysts have commented on VLO shares. Weiss Ratings raised Valero Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $259.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Zacks Research raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $286.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Eric Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total value of $2,011,275.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,294,212.14. This represents a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of VLO. RFG Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 16.6% during the second quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 946 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $246,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 13.1% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 67,092 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $17,474,000 after acquiring an additional 7,794 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 95.0% in the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 7,601 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,980,000 after acquiring an additional 3,704 shares during the period. West Family Investments Inc. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 133.7% in the second quarter. West Family Investments Inc. now owns 2,106 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $548,000 after acquiring an additional 1,205 shares during the period. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 53.3% during the 2nd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 25,476 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $6,635,000 after acquiring an additional 8,862 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: UBS upgraded its outlook for Valero. UBS raised its price target from $355 to $450 and assigned a “buy” rating, implying approximately 17.4% potential upside from the referenced share price. The higher target reflects increased confidence in Valero’s earnings and refining-market prospects. Tickerreport article
• Positive Sentiment: Strong refining margins continue to support the sector. Refining stocks have rallied as disruptions have reduced global refining capacity and tightened supplies of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Wells Fargo has increased its exposure to major refiners, including Valero, reinforcing the favorable industry backdrop. Wells Fargo refining stocks article
• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical tensions are lifting energy shares. Concerns related to the U.S.-Iran conflict and potential supply disruptions helped energy stocks outperform broader markets in premarket trading, providing an additional tailwind for Valero. Premarket energy stocks article
• Neutral Sentiment: Valero scheduled its third-quarter earnings release. The company will publish results before the market opens on October 22, 2026, followed by a conference call at 10:00 a.m. ET. The announcement itself does not change current fundamentals, but investors will look for evidence that strong refining margins are continuing. Valero third-quarter earnings announcement

Valero Energy Price Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $383.45 on Friday. Valero Energy has a 12-month low of $153.60 and a 12-month high of $384.26. 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 firm has a 50-day moving average price of $319.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $267.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $110.41 billion, a PE ratio of 15.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.57.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.11 by $2.43. The company had revenue of $44.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.47 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.17% and a return on equity of 26.74%. The firm’s revenue was up 48.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.28 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 41.15 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st were paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 31st. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 19.92%.

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation is an international energy company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. Its primary business is refining crude oil into transportation fuels and other products, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt, lubricants and petrochemical feedstocks.

Valero operates refineries and related facilities in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, and markets its products through wholesale and commercial channels in North America and other international markets.