Barclays Lowers Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target to $173.00

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its price objective decreased by stock analysts at Barclays from $179.00 to $173.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Barclays‘s target price would indicate a potential upside of 11.14% from the company’s previous close.

VLO has been the subject of several other research reports. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $161.00 to $198.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Mizuho downgraded Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $150.00 to $173.00 in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Bank of America upgraded Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $156.00 to $210.00 in a research note on Friday, March 15th. UBS Group upped their price target on Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $174.40.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $155.66 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $162.49 and its two-hundred day moving average is $141.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.59. Valero Energy has a 1 year low of $104.18 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The firm has a market cap of $51.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.71, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.54.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.18 by $0.64. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 24.82% and a net margin of 5.01%. The firm had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.02 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $8.27 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 18.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. StoneX Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 4.9% during the first quarter. StoneX Group Inc. now owns 12,453 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,126,000 after buying an additional 587 shares in the last quarter. Centric Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 7.4% during the 1st quarter. Centric Wealth Management now owns 14,781 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,363,000 after acquiring an additional 1,022 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 47.2% during the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 233,125 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $37,156,000 after acquiring an additional 74,782 shares in the last quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $64,000. Finally, Wambolt & Associates LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 25.7% in the 1st quarter. Wambolt & Associates LLC now owns 9,585 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,655,000 after purchasing an additional 1,957 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, Mexico, Peru, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol.