Cerity Partners LLC Buys 8,638 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 104,859 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 8,638 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $17,853,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in VLO. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 15.7% in the 2nd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 161,957 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $21,770,000 after acquiring an additional 21,997 shares during the last quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 26.3% during the second 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 in the last quarter. Caldwell Trust Co bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,666,000. Consolidated Planning Corp bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $339,000. Finally, Ninety One UK Ltd bought a new stake in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $5,630,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on VLO shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Valero Energy from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Valero Energy from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Valero Energy from $169.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, November 17th. Three investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus 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: 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 related news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief financial officer owned 134,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,352,787.92. This trade represents a 6.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.04% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Valero Energy Trading Down 3.1%

VLO opened at $185.30 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $172.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $159.33. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $192.00. The company has a market cap of $56.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 EPS 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 analyst estimates of $28.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.14 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

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

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.