Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Given New $289.00 Price Target at Mizuho

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its price objective raised by Mizuho from $222.00 to $289.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Mizuho’s target price indicates a potential upside of 23.02% from the stock’s previous close.

VLO has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $236.00 to $263.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Barclays increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $184.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Argus upgraded Valero Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised their price target on Valero Energy from $215.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $243.65.

Valero Energy Trading Down 2.7%

NYSE:VLO opened at $234.92 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.16, a P/E/G ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. The company has a fifty day moving average of $242.34 and a 200 day moving average of $205.82. Valero Energy has a 52 week low of $125.10 and a 52 week high of $263.75.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced 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 business had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.94%. The company’s revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.89 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 26.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.60, for a total transaction of $95,440.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Groupama Asset Managment boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 34.7% in the first quarter. Groupama Asset Managment now owns 211,607 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $52,284,000 after purchasing an additional 54,523 shares during the period. Vestor Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1,580.2% in the first quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 1,865 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $461,000 after buying an additional 1,754 shares in the last quarter. BankChampaign National Association purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the first quarter worth $207,000. Groupe la Francaise bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter worth $7,092,000. Finally, Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter worth $211,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

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.