Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target Raised to $290.00

28 Mar 2026, 01:58 by Teresa Graham · The Cerbat Gem

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO – Free Report) had its price target hoisted by Raymond James Financial from $215.00 to $290.00 in a research note released on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a strong-buy rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on VLO. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Bank of America reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $195.00 target price (down from $198.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $212.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Valero Energy to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $199.53.

Get Our Latest Analysis on VLO

Valero Energy Trading Up 2.6%

Valero Energy stock opened at $254.58 on Wednesday. Valero Energy has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $255.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.13 billion, a PE ratio of 33.32, a PEG ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 0.70. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $209.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $183.67.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.55. The firm had revenue of $30.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.20 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 12.35% and a net margin of 1.91%.The company’s revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.64 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Valero Energy will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 5th were given a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 5th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.83%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.60, for a total value of $95,440.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,111,542,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership bought a new position in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth about $275,239,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 2,635.7% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 950,527 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $154,736,000 after purchasing an additional 915,782 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 49.3% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,696,811 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $276,224,000 after purchasing an additional 560,116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,668,210 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $922,728,000 after purchasing an additional 394,693 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Valero Energy

Here are the key news stories impacting Valero Energy this week:

Positive Sentiment: Crack spreads and an upgrade boosted profit expectations for refiners — analysts and investors are lifting VLO on improving refining margins, a key driver of near‑term cash flow. Valero Energy Shares Follow Crack Spreads Higher (Rating Upgrade)
Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullishness increased: Raymond James raised its price target to $290 and Scotiabank reaffirmed a buy — both add upside narrative and institutional support. Raymond James Financial Raises Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target to $290.00 Scotiabank Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on Valero Energy (VLO)
Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised FY2026 and FY2027 EPS forecasts materially, signaling expectations for much higher earnings than consensus — this lifts forward valuation metrics for VLO. (Research note cited by market coverage.)
Positive Sentiment: Operational recovery: Valero has begun restarting its 380k bpd Port Arthur refinery after the recent explosion, which reduces near‑term production disruption risk and supports revenue recovery. Valero begins restart of Port Arthur, Texas refinery, sources say
Positive Sentiment: Sector tailwinds: Energy stocks and oil prices have rallied on Middle East tensions, lifting refiners’ top lines and supporting VLO’s momentum. Wall Street follows global markets lower with missiles fired at Israel and confusion on peace talks
Neutral Sentiment: Macro headwinds: rising global bond yields and growing odds of further Fed tightening are increasing equity volatility and could cap multiple expansion for cyclical names like VLO. US Stock Market Today S&P 500 Futures Steady As Rate Hike Worries Build
Negative Sentiment: Legal & safety overhang: a worker sued Valero over injuries from the Port Arthur explosion seeking damages; while the suit appears limited in dollar size vs. market cap, it raises operational/safety scrutiny and potential legal costs. Valero has responded publicly. Worker sues Valero over Texas refinery explosion

Valero Energy Company Profile

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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.