Proficio Capital Partners LLC Invests $601,000 in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 2,309 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $601,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth $1,111,542,000. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the second quarter worth $1,195,943,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $275,239,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Valero Energy by 2,635.7% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 950,527 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $154,736,000 after purchasing an additional 915,782 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi grew its holdings in Valero Energy by 45.3% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 2,584,976 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $638,695,000 after buying an additional 806,018 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Valero Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on Valero from $356 to $389 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying additional upside from recent trading levels. Benzinga analyst coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Valero was added to Zacks’ Rank #1 (Strong Buy) growth-stocks list. The designation reflects favorable growth characteristics and could attract additional investor interest. Best Growth Stocks to Buy for September 2nd
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum remains strong: VLO reached a fresh 12-month high and was identified by Zacks among stocks with relative price strength, positive earnings revisions and resilient performance amid market volatility. 5 Relative Price Strength Stocks With Momentum on Their Side
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised its FY2027 EPS forecast to $28.75 from $25.43, signaling improved longer-term earnings expectations, although the bank retained a “Hold” rating. Valero Energy Hits New 12-Month High
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of Valero’s new high highlights continued investor optimism but also raises valuation concerns after the stock’s substantial advance. Future gains may depend on sustained refining margins and additional earnings growth. Valero Energy Hits Fresh High: Is There Still Room to Run?
• Negative Sentiment: Political pressure is a risk: President Donald Trump’s planned meeting with refiners focused on lowering gasoline prices could pressure companies such as Valero to reduce prices, potentially squeezing refining margins and shareholder returns. Trump Presses Refiners on Gas Prices

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on VLO. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $329.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Zacks Research raised shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Valero Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $338.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Erste Group Bank lowered Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $289.94.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total transaction of $2,011,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,294,212.14. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

VLO opened at $366.13 on Thursday. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $153.20 and a 1 year high of $370.11. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $310.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $262.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $105.42 billion, a PE ratio of 15.19, a P/E/G ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.64.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.11 by $2.43. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.17% and a return on equity of 26.74%. The company had revenue of $44.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.47 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.28 earnings per share. Valero Energy’s revenue was up 48.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 40.7 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st were issued a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.92%.

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.