Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. Purchases 98,406 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 8,283.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 99,594 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 98,406 shares during the quarter. Cookson Peirce & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $25,938,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of VLO. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 3,400.0% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Valero Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 134.0% in the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on VLO. Barclays increased their price target on Valero Energy from $279.00 to $323.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $286.00 to $357.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Zacks Research raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $292.00 to $356.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $289.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $288.00.

Key Stories Impacting Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Tight refining market supports margins: Historically low fuel inventories, limited excess refining capacity and ongoing supply disruptions are creating a favorable environment for higher crack spreads. Valero’s flexible, complex coastal refinery network is well positioned to process various crude grades and supply multiple fuel markets. Valero Energy Looks Well Placed in the Tight Global Refining Market
• Positive Sentiment: Strong second-quarter performance and estimates: Valero’s second-quarter 2026 results reportedly showed substantial year-over-year improvement in adjusted EPS and revenue. Rising consensus estimates and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) indicate that analysts are becoming more constructive on the company’s earnings prospects. Did Strong Q2 2026 Earnings and Refining Tailwinds Just Shift Valero Energy’s Investment Narrative?
• Positive Sentiment: Relative market strength and favorable valuation: VLO recently gained while the broader market declined. Its low PEG ratio compared with industry peers may be adding to the stock’s appeal, particularly as refining profitability expectations improve. Valero Energy Gains as Market Dips
• Negative Sentiment: One analyst downgrade: Erste Group Bank AG lowered Valero from “buy” to “hold,” which could limit upside sentiment after the stock’s strong advance and near-record trading levels. Finviz Valero Analyst Update

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $352.66 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $101.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.63, a PEG ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.55. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12 month low of $150.10 and a 12 month high of $353.00. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $303.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $259.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.11 by $2.43. The firm had revenue of $44.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.47 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.17% and a return on equity of 26.74%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 48.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.28 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 40.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.92%.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total transaction of $2,011,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,294,212.14. This represents a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Valero Energy

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.