Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Given New $171.00 Price Target at Barclays

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its target price lowered by equities research analysts at Barclays from $173.00 to $171.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Barclays‘s price objective points to a potential upside of 8.87% from the stock’s current price.

VLO has been the subject of several other reports. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $176.00 to $171.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 20th. StockNews.com raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Argus lowered Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Valero Energy from $130.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $171.87.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO traded up $0.31 during trading on Monday, reaching $157.07. 433,015 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,125,468. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Valero Energy has a 52 week low of $112.16 and a 52 week high of $184.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.36 billion, a PE ratio of 7.79, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.42. The company’s 50 day moving average is $157.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $150.47.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $31.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.02 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.01% and a return on equity of 24.82%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $8.27 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy will post 16.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In other news, Director Kimberly S. Greene sold 720 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.12, for a total transaction of $113,846.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 13,314 shares in the company, valued at $2,105,209.68. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.47% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $33,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the first quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, First Foundation Advisors bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $37,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

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.