Valero Energy (VLO) closed the latest trading day at $139.37, indicating a +1.06% change from the previous session's end. This move outpaced the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.21%. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.16%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 0.89%.

Shares of the oil refiner have appreciated by 13.28% over the course of the past month, outperforming the Oils-Energy sector's loss of 6.25% and the S&P 500's loss of 1.56%.

Analysts and investors alike will be keeping a close eye on the performance of Valero Energy in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings report is set to go public on January 30, 2025. It is anticipated that the company will report an EPS of $0.16, marking a 95.49% fall compared to the same quarter of the previous year. In the meantime, our current consensus estimate forecasts the revenue to be $30.43 billion, indicating a 14.07% decline compared to the corresponding quarter of the prior year.

Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Valero Energy. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. Therefore, positive revisions in estimates convey analysts' confidence in the company's business performance and profit potential.

Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.

The Zacks Rank system, which varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 14.55% lower. At present, Valero Energy boasts a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Looking at valuation, Valero Energy is presently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 16.92. This expresses a premium compared to the average Forward P/E of 16.63 of its industry.

Also, we should mention that VLO has a PEG ratio of 2.82. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. VLO's industry had an average PEG ratio of 2.82 as of yesterday's close.

The Oil and Gas - Refining and Marketing industry is part of the Oils-Energy sector. This group has a Zacks Industry Rank of 78, putting it in the top 32% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the strength of our separate industry groups by calculating the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks contained within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Keep in mind to rely on Zacks.com to watch all these stock-impacting metrics, and more, in the succeeding trading sessions.

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