BMO Capital Markets Increases Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target to $270.00
by Sarita Garza · The Markets DailyValero Energy (NYSE:VLO – Get Free Report) had its price objective increased by equities research analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $230.00 to $270.00 in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price target suggests a potential upside of 12.03% from the company’s previous close.
Several other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $215.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $220.00 to $292.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Argus raised shares of Valero Energy to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Mizuho restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $192.00 price objective (up from $190.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $214.50.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Valero Energy
Valero Energy Stock Down 1.3%
Valero Energy stock traded down $3.07 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $241.02. The company had a trading volume of 119,488 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,882,598. Valero Energy has a 12 month low of $99.00 and a 12 month high of $258.43. The company has a market capitalization of $72.07 billion, a PE ratio of 31.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.61 and a beta of 0.62. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $215.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $187.03. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.
Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.55. The firm had revenue of $30.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.20 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 12.35% and a net margin of 1.91%.The company’s revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.64 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side 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, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 8,311 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.69, for a total transaction of $1,892,331.59. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 42,242 shares in the company, valued at $9,618,080.98. This represents a 16.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.04% of the stock is owned by insiders.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy
Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 975 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $159,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 32.9% during the fourth quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 206 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,610 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,564,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 3,788 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $617,000 after acquiring an additional 53 shares during the period. Finally, Prospera Financial Services Inc boosted its position in Valero Energy by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 16,268 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,651,000 after purchasing an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
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.