Wall Street Zen Downgrades Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) to Buy

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) was downgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on VLO. Bank of America raised Valero Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $152.00 to $179.00 in a research report on Wednesday, September 3rd. TD Cowen upped their target price on Valero Energy from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley downgraded Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $160.00 to $175.00 in a report on Friday, October 3rd. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $169.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $177.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $182.00.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $174.68 on Friday. 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 $53.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.76. Valero Energy has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $185.62. The company’s 50-day moving average is $170.53 and its 200 day moving average is $153.12.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.51. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 8.69% and a net margin of 1.21%.The firm had revenue of $32.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.14 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 134,196 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,352,787.92. This represents a 6.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Hancock Whitney Corp lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 8.9% in the first quarter. Hancock Whitney Corp now owns 46,474 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $6,138,000 after acquiring an additional 3,790 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 26.3% in the 2nd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 10,571 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,421,000 after purchasing an additional 2,199 shares during the last quarter. FORA Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $866,000. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 11.2% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 560,495 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $74,025,000 after purchasing an additional 56,274 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 1832 Asset Management L.P. grew its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 20.5% during the second quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,436,759 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $193,129,000 after purchasing an additional 244,675 shares in the last quarter. 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.