Erste Group Bank Expects Stronger Earnings for Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) – Research analysts at Erste Group Bank lifted their FY2026 earnings estimates for shares of Valero Energy in a research report issued on Thursday, August 27th. Erste Group Bank analyst H. Engel now anticipates that the oil and gas company will earn $42.76 per share for the year, up from their previous estimate of $42.13. Erste Group Bank has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Valero Energy’s current full-year earnings is $40.70 per share.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.11 by $2.43. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.17% and a return on equity of 26.74%. The firm had revenue of $44.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.47 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.28 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 48.8% on a year-over-year basis.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on VLO. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $279.00 to $323.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group raised their price target on Valero Energy from $280.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, June 12th. Raymond James Financial upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Valero Energy from $286.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $288.00.

Valero Energy Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of Valero Energy stock opened at $359.97 on Monday. Valero Energy has a twelve month low of $150.10 and a twelve month high of $362.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company’s 50 day moving average is $305.88 and its 200 day moving average is $260.60. The company has a market cap of $103.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.55.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 31st were paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 31st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total value of $2,011,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,294,212.14. This represents a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 57.6% in the second quarter. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC now owns 104 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 3,400.0% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares in the last quarter. Financial Life Planners bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 134.0% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 1st quarter worth $33,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by 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.