Wells Fargo & Company Lowers Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target to $159.00

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its price objective reduced by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $160.00 to $159.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “overweight” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target suggests a potential upside of 18.66% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Piper Sandler upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Mizuho reduced their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Barclays decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $150.00 price objective on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.46.

Valero Energy Stock Down 1.1 %

NYSE VLO traded down $1.42 on Friday, hitting $134.00. 360,038 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,915,847. The company has a market capitalization of $42.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy has a twelve month low of $116.84 and a twelve month high of $184.79. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $130.99 and a 200 day moving average of $137.71.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. As a group, analysts expect that Valero Energy will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Tobam acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 196.8% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Valero Energy

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.