Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Sets New 12-Month High – Here’s Why

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $187.50 and last traded at $187.2020, with a volume of 621550 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $178.27.

Valero Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Michael Burry spotlight — renewed media coverage that Burry holds VLO and sees it as a beneficiary if the U.S. engages to revive Venezuela’s oil industry has driven retail and momentum interest in the name. This narrative is a primary driver of recent buying. Michael Burry Was Right About Valero Energy. Is He Right About an AI Bubble?
• Positive Sentiment: BMO reiterates Buy — BMO’s maintained Buy and $195 target (reported via TipRanks) reinforces analyst confidence in Valero’s refining economics and shareholder return potential, supporting upside expectations versus peers. Valero Energy: Structurally Advantaged Refining…
• Positive Sentiment: Short-term technical/order-flow tailwind — a Power Inflow alert and heavy intraday volume spikes flagged by market trackers drew short‑term traders into VLO, helping fuel the earlier rally. These flows can amplify moves in either direction. Valero Energy Shares Rise Nearly 3% After Key Trading Signal
• Neutral Sentiment: Benicia refinery shutdown — Valero plans to close its Benicia refinery and will increase gasoline imports to Northern California rather than fully exiting the market; the move reduces local refining throughput but management says supply will be backstopped via imports. Watch margins and logistics costs as the closure is implemented. Valero to keep importing gasoline after Benicia refinery closure…
• Negative Sentiment: Profit‑taking and market context trimmed gains — analysts and market writeups note that VLO has pulled back from an earlier sharp intraday jump, and broader market rotations have pressured the stock despite positive headlines. This explains current downward movement. Valero Energy (VLO) Stock Falls Amid Market Uptick…
• Negative Sentiment: Minor insider selling flagged — data summaries note recent insider sales (CFO) and some institutional reshuffling; while not large enough alone to change fundamentals, it can add to near‑term selling pressure if momentum fades. Valero Energy Corporation Stock (VLO) Opinions on Venezuela…

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on Valero Energy from $181.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 10th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Valero Energy from $201.00 to $223.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, November 14th. Barclays boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $169.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 17th. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (up previously from $181.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $183.20.

Valero Energy Stock Up 4.1%

The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $171.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $158.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The company has a market capitalization of $56.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.77.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.51. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.21% and a return on equity of 8.69%. The business had revenue of $32.17 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.14 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Investors of record on Thursday, November 20th were paid a dividend of $1.13 per share. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 94.36%.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total transaction of $1,728,540.66. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 134,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,352,787.92. This represents a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.37% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hoey Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $26,000. GFG Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 70.2% during the 3rd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1,277.8% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 248 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.