Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target Cut to $158.00 by Analysts at Mizuho

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) had its price objective dropped by equities research analysts at Mizuho from $165.00 to $158.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "outperform" rating on the oil and gas company's stock. Mizuho's price target suggests a potential upside of 26.19% from the company's current price.

Several other analysts also recently commented on VLO. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $150.00 target price for the company. Scotiabank cut their price target on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $149.00 to $131.00 and set a "sell" rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $154.57.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.0 %

VLO traded up $1.22 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $125.21. The stock had a trading volume of 2,257,813 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,252,136. Valero Energy has a 1-year low of $116.84 and a 1-year high of $184.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $131.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $139.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 13.07% and a net margin of 2.74%. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $7.49 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 8.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Peterson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 196.8% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $50,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.