Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) PT Lowered to $176.00 at Citigroup

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) had its price objective cut by research analysts at Citigroup from $192.00 to $176.00 in a research note issued to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Citigroup’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 33.01% from the company’s previous close.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on VLO. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $177.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. StockNews.com lowered Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their target price on Valero Energy from $173.00 to $141.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $154.53.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO traded up $0.96 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $132.32. 1,309,168 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,981,396. The company has a market capitalization of $42.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.57, a PEG ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.39. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $138.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $150.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Valero Energy has a 52-week low of $119.88 and a 52-week high of $184.79.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly 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. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 4.25% and a return on equity of 21.01%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $7.49 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 9.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. EdgeRock Capital LLC purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Lynx Investment Advisory acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Summit Securities Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Hedge funds and other 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.