Whittier Trust Co. Raises Holdings in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Whittier Trust Co. raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 2.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 206,410 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 5,009 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co. owned about 0.07% of Valero Energy worth $33,108,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Valero Energy by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,724,707 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,576,035,000 after acquiring an additional 286,942 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 16.7% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,141,511 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,089,897,000 after purchasing an additional 1,164,217 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $827,390,000. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in Valero Energy by 3.0% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,024,322 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $675,369,000 after buying an additional 148,195 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 3.3% during the second quarter. Amundi now owns 2,381,316 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $331,415,000 after buying an additional 77,070 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on VLO shares. Erste Group Bank assumed coverage on Valero Energy in a research note on Monday, November 10th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 3rd. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $169.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 17th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $195.00 price target (down previously from $198.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $216.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $183.00.

Trending Headlines about Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board raises quarterly cash dividend to $1.20 (annualized $4.80), a 6.2% increase from the prior payout — a signal of cash-flow confidence and higher shareholder return. Valero Energy Corporation Increases Regular Cash Dividend on Common Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Valero bought a Venezuelan crude cargo under Washington’s deal with Caracas — this provides an additional, potentially lower-cost feedstock supply for Gulf Coast refineries and could help downstream margins. Exclusive: Valero buys Venezuelan oil cargo as part of Washington’s deal with Caracas
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary note softer WTI/crude under $60 can boost refiners like Valero by lowering feedstock costs and supporting margins — a favorable backdrop for expected earnings. Softness in Oil Price: What Lies Ahead for VLO’s Refining Operations?
• Positive Sentiment: ETF/asset manager mentions: VanEck highlighted VLO among oil plays, which can attract fund flows and investor attention. VanEck spotlights SLB, HAL, BKR, PSX, and VLO as oil plays
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage and valuation pieces note VLO’s earnings cadence and mixed valuation signals (P/E vs DCF) — useful context but not an immediate catalyst. A Look At Valero Energy (VLO) Valuation As P/E And DCF Send Mixed Signals
• Neutral Sentiment: Inclusion in broader dividend/safe-stock roundups and S&P 500/refining scale pieces reinforces visibility but is not a near-term earnings driver. Goldman Sachs Says Correction Could Be Coming: 5 Safe Dividend Stocks From The Conviction List
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded VLO from “strong-buy” to “hold,” which could pressure sentiment among some retail and model-driven investors. Zacks.com

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valero Energy news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owned 134,196 shares in the company, valued at $23,352,787.92. This represents a 6.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $187.00 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The business’s 50 day moving average is $174.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $162.60. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52-week low of $99.00 and a 52-week high of $194.35. The firm has a market cap of $57.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.04, a PEG ratio of 1.09 and a beta of 0.77.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 8.69% and a net margin of 1.21%.The business had revenue of $32.17 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.14 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 5th will be issued a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 5th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 94.36%.

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.