Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Stake Reduced by Narwhal Capital Management

Narwhal Capital Management trimmed its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 17.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 50,897 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 10,833 shares during the quarter. Narwhal Capital Management’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $8,666,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 15.7% during the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 161,957 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $21,770,000 after acquiring an additional 21,997 shares in the last quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 17.4% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 160,794 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,377,000 after purchasing an additional 23,859 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 26.3% in the 2nd quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 10,571 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,421,000 after purchasing an additional 2,199 shares during the period. Caldwell Trust Co purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,666,000. Finally, Consolidated Planning Corp acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $339,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Down 3.1%

VLO stock opened at $185.30 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $172.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $159.33. The company has a market cap of $56.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.68, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.77. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $99.00 and a 12-month high of $192.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.14 earnings per share. Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on VLO shares. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “strong-buy” rating and issued a $195.00 target price (up from $181.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Friday, October 24th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $135.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research note on Friday, September 19th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Erste Group Bank started coverage on Valero Energy in a research report on Monday, November 10th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $183.00.

Key Valero Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo and Barclays reaffirmed buy ratings on VLO, reinforcing institutional support that can underpin the stock. Wells Fargo Keeps Their Buy Rating on Valero Energy (VLO)
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target to $200 and keeps an overweight view, signaling analysts see upside versus recent levels. JPMorgan raises VLO target
• Positive Sentiment: Media and TV commentary (Jim Cramer) highlight refiners like Valero as potential beneficiaries if U.S. policy opens access to Venezuelan crude — a positive sentiment tailwind for refining margins and investor interest. Jim Cramer Says Refiners Like Valero as Potential Winners From Venezuelan Oil
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks notes Valero’s strong earnings surprise history and factors (operational flexibility, margin capture) that increase the odds of an earnings beat — a catalyst that could lift the stock if results beat again. Will Valero Energy (VLO) Beat Estimates Again?
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually high options volume indicates heavy positioning/speculation around VLO — can amplify moves in either direction but doesn’t signal a fundamental change alone. Valero Energy Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:VLO)
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of a White House meeting with oil majors (Barron’s) and comments that majors may move slowly into Venezuela (Reuters) create a mixed timeline: policy momentum exists, but execution and investment timelines remain uncertain. Trump to Meet With Chevron and Other Oil Companies on Venezuela Bessent says largest oil companies are likely to move slower in Venezuela
• Negative Sentiment: Critical analysis (Seeking Alpha) calls the “Venezuela hype” into question, arguing the upside may be overstated — this increased skepticism can pressure the stock if investors reassess realistic benefits. Valero Energy: Sell The Venezuela Hype
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that U.S. oil companies want firm guarantees before investing in Venezuela (FT/Reuters) highlight political, legal and investment risk — a material constraint on how quickly Valero could benefit. US oil companies say they need guarantees to invest in Venezuela
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler trimmed its price target (from $223 to $217) — a modest downgrade to upside expectations that can add downward pressure despite an overweight rating. Piper Sandler lowers PT

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total transaction of $1,728,540.66. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 134,196 shares in the company, valued at $23,352,787.92. The trade was a 6.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.