Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Given New $173.00 Price Target at Barclays

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its target price cut by research analysts at Barclays from $179.00 to $173.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Barclays‘s price target suggests a potential upside of 7.00% from the company’s current price.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on VLO. Scotiabank increased their price target on Valero Energy from $138.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $177.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, April 1st. UBS Group lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $167.00 to $197.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $171.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Finally, Mizuho downgraded Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $150.00 to $173.00 in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $174.40.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO traded down $5.83 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $161.68. The company had a trading volume of 636,558 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,242,857. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $161.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $141.05. Valero Energy has a 52-week low of $104.18 and a 52-week high of $184.79. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.09, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.54.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its 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. The company had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $8.27 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Valero Energy will post 18.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in VLO. BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the first quarter worth about $33,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, FSC Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

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.