Mizuho Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Stock Price

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its price target dropped by Mizuho from $165.00 to $158.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “outperform” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Mizuho’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 28.15% from the company’s previous close.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 9th. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $169.00 to $123.00 in a report on Friday, September 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.57.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO traded down $0.70 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $123.29. 401,373 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,871,081. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $131.17 and a 200 day moving average of $139.46. Valero Energy has a 52-week low of $116.84 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The company has a market cap of $39.03 billion, a PE ratio of 11.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $32.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $7.49 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 8.86 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Fortem Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Fortem Financial Group LLC now owns 10,998 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,348,000 after acquiring an additional 426 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 18.1% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,521 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $186,000 after buying an additional 233 shares during the last quarter. Independent Solutions Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Independent Solutions Wealth Management LLC now owns 13,258 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,790,000 after acquiring an additional 273 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in Valero Energy by 0.8% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 368,454 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $49,752,000 after acquiring an additional 3,065 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 1ST Source Bank lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 3.3% in the third quarter. 1ST Source Bank now owns 4,286 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $579,000 after purchasing an additional 135 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Company Profile

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.