Martingale Asset Management L P Buys 49,249 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Martingale Asset Management L P boosted its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 167.4% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 78,668 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 49,249 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $13,394,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Waddell & Associates LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Waddell & Associates LLC now owns 2,040 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $347,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the period. DSG Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 1.6% in the third quarter. DSG Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,803 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $647,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the period. Cypress Capital Group raised its position in Valero Energy by 0.3% in the third quarter. Cypress Capital Group now owns 18,786 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,199,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 2.0% during the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 3,381 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $576,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Becker Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Becker Capital Management Inc. now owns 11,837 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,015,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Valero Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target on VLO to $237 and kept a “buy” rating, providing visible sell‑side endorsement that can attract buyers and support the rally. Goldman Sachs raises PT
• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical supply risk around the Strait of Hormuz has pushed crude higher and sent institutional flows into U.S. refiners; that demand-driven dynamic tends to boost refiners’ margins and investor appetite for names like Valero. Hormuz crisis lifts refiners
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend-focused coverage is highlighting Valero as an attractive income stock, which can underpin longer-term buyer interest and reduce volatility for yield-seeking investors. Dividend thesis
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst fair-value and narrative updates show mixed Street views — a modest upward revision to fair value and some divergent target changes mean continued analyst attention but no clear consensus signal. Analyst narrative shift
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and valuation checks note strong recent share-price momentum and elevated investor interest, prompting reassessments of where VLO belongs in portfolios (momentum may continue but raises valuation scrutiny). Valuation check
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: SVP Eric A. Fisher disclosed sales of 8,311 shares on Mar 11 (avg $227.69) and 400 shares on Mar 12 (avg $238.60), a meaningful reduction in his stake (~16.4% decline in his position). Large insider sales can signal personal liquidity needs or reduced conviction and may damp investor sentiment. SEC Form 4 – Fisher sales
• Negative Sentiment: Policy risk: the White House is considering temporarily waiving the Jones Act to ease fuel shipping constraints and tame US pump prices — increased supply access could pressure domestic refining margins and weigh on near-term profitability for refiners. Jones Act waiver consideration

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 8,311 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $227.69, for a total value of $1,892,331.59. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 42,242 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,618,080.98. This represents a 16.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.04% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $235.95 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.64. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $196.53 and its 200 day moving average price is $177.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.56 billion, a PE ratio of 30.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 0.70. Valero Energy Corporation has a one year low of $99.00 and a one year high of $240.27.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.55. The company had revenue of $30.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $28.20 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 12.35% and a net margin of 1.91%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 5th were issued a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is a boost from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 5th. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is presently 62.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $190.00 to $212.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Barclays raised their price target on Valero Energy from $169.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Valero Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $193.20.

Valero Energy 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.