Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on VLO. Morgan Stanley lowered shares of Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $135.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Friday, September 19th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $181.00 to $194.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on Valero Energy from $201.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, November 14th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $169.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $183.20.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $165.31 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $171.66 and its 200-day moving average price is $158.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.51, a PEG ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 0.77. Valero Energy has a one year low of $99.00 and a one year high of $185.62.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.15 by $0.51. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.21% and a return on equity of 8.69%. The company had revenue of $32.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.14 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In related news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total value of $1,728,540.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 134,196 shares in the company, valued at $23,352,787.92. This trade represents a 6.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hoey Investments Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. GFG Capital LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in 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 last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the third quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 1,277.8% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 248 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. 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.