Proficio Capital Partners LLC Buys New Holdings in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,309 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $601,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in VLO. State Street Corp lifted its position in Valero Energy by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 18,177,191 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,959,065,000 after purchasing an additional 163,975 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Valero Energy by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,950,982 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,945,500,000 after purchasing an additional 63,919 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,111,542,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,668,210 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $922,728,000 after buying an additional 394,693 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 11.4% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,033,310 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,243,630,000 after buying an additional 516,975 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on VLO shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Erste Group Bank cut shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $280.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $356.00 to $389.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Zacks Research raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Two equities research 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 issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $289.94.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at $5,294,212.14. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

VLO opened at $366.13 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $310.70 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $262.91. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $153.20 and a 52-week high of $370.11. The company has a market cap of $105.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.19, a PEG ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.57. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.11 by $2.43. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.17% and a return on equity of 26.74%. The firm had revenue of $44.48 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.28 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 48.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 40.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st were issued a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 31st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.92%.

Key Valero Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on Valero from $356 to $389 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying additional upside from recent trading levels. Benzinga analyst coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Valero was added to Zacks’ Rank #1 (Strong Buy) growth-stocks list. The designation reflects favorable growth characteristics and could attract additional investor interest. Best Growth Stocks to Buy for September 2nd
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum remains strong: VLO reached a fresh 12-month high and was identified by Zacks among stocks with relative price strength, positive earnings revisions and resilient performance amid market volatility. 5 Relative Price Strength Stocks With Momentum on Their Side
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised its FY2027 EPS forecast to $28.75 from $25.43, signaling improved longer-term earnings expectations, although the bank retained a “Hold” rating. Valero Energy Hits New 12-Month High
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of Valero’s new high highlights continued investor optimism but also raises valuation concerns after the stock’s substantial advance. Future gains may depend on sustained refining margins and additional earnings growth. Valero Energy Hits Fresh High: Is There Still Room to Run?
• Negative Sentiment: Political pressure is a risk: President Donald Trump’s planned meeting with refiners focused on lowering gasoline prices could pressure companies such as Valero to reduce prices, potentially squeezing refining margins and shareholder returns. Trump Presses Refiners on Gas Prices

Valero Energy Company Profile

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.