Valero Energy Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:VLO)

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) saw some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Traders bought 19,120 put options on the company. This is an increase of 112% compared to the average daily volume of 9,017 put options.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total value of $1,728,540.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 134,196 shares in the company, valued at $23,352,787.92. This trade represents a 6.89% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Valero Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 2.5% in the second 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 purchasing an additional 286,942 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Valero Energy by 16.7% in the 2nd 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 buying an additional 1,164,217 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at $827,390,000. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,273,517 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $897,869,000 after acquiring an additional 249,195 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC lifted its position in Valero Energy by 5.3% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 4,143,672 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $705,502,000 after acquiring an additional 209,597 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy Trading Up 4.1%

NYSE:VLO opened at $191.46 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $58.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.77. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $172.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $159.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.60. Valero Energy has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $192.00.

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

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business 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. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 94.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on VLO. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Bank of America reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective (down from $198.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, December 11th. Morgan Stanley cut Valero Energy from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $160.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $183.00.

Valero Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target to $200 and kept an overweight rating, signaling incremental analyst confidence and adding upside narrative for investors. JPMorgan Raises PT on VLO (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Venezuelan oil shipments to the U.S. may resume indefinitely and that sanctions could be eased have driven bullish flows into refiners that can process heavy crude — a direct tailwind for Valero’s complex refinery footprint. Valero Stock Climbs On Reports Of Indefinite Venezuelan Oil Flows (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and research pieces highlight Valero’s operational flexibility — its ability to shift product yields and process varied crude grades — which positions it to capture wider refining margins if Venezuelan heavy crude becomes available. How Valero’s Operational Flexibility Drives Profitability (Zacks)
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays and other brokers maintain buy/positive views (and BMO kept a buy in recent coverage), reinforcing analyst support for shares amid the Venezuela narrative. Barclays Remains a Buy on Valero Energy
• Neutral Sentiment: White‑house outreach: Top oil firms are meeting with President Trump to discuss rebuilding Venezuela’s oil industry — a process that could create eventual opportunities but carries geopolitical and timing uncertainty. Trump to Meet With Chevron and Other Oil Companies on Venezuela (Barron’s)
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational update: Valero will boost fuel imports to Northern California after the Benicia refinery closure, indicating management is maintaining market supply while reshaping asset footprint — important for regional volumes but not an earnings shock. Valero to keep importing gasoline after Benicia refinery closure (Reuters)
• Negative Sentiment: Major-company caution: U.S. oil firms say they need “serious guarantees” from Washington before making large Venezuela investments — this raises execution risk and suggests a gradual, uncertain path to any material benefit for refiners. US oil companies say they need guarantees to invest in Venezuela (Reuters)
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst adjustments and skepticism: Piper Sandler trimmed its price target (though it kept an overweight rating), and some commentary (e.g., Seeking Alpha) warns the Venezuela story may be overhyped — both factors add downside risk if the situation stalls. Valero Energy: Sell The Venezuela Hype (Seeking Alpha)
• Negative Sentiment: Elevated hedging / bearish bets: Unusual put option volume was reported recently, indicating some investors are hedging or speculating on near‑term downside, which can increase volatility. (Options flow reported 1/7/2026.)

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.