Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Stock: Inspire Investing LLC Reduces Holdings

Inspire Investing LLC lowered its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 23.0% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 20,027 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 5,973 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $7,763,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 11.4% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 5,033,310 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,243,630,000 after acquiring an additional 516,975 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 9.4% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,969,320 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $733,660,000 after acquiring an additional 254,604 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 18.4% during the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,842,339 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $702,285,000 after acquiring an additional 442,177 shares during the period. Amundi lifted its position in Valero Energy by 45.3% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 2,584,976 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $638,695,000 after acquiring an additional 806,018 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its position in Valero Energy by 33.9% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 2,058,341 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $536,074,000 after acquiring an additional 520,642 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

More Valero Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Exceptional Q3 earnings: Valero reported adjusted EPS of $23.90, well above the roughly $21.17 consensus, while revenue increased 43.3% year over year to $46.1 billion. Net income surged to $6.8 billion from $1.1 billion, driven primarily by sharply higher refining margins. Valero Energy Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Favorable operating outlook: Management highlighted tight fuel markets, resilient demand, record ethanol production, improving renewable diesel and ethanol profitability, and expectations that fuel margins could rise again. The company also cited $9.8 billion in cash and disciplined capital spending, supporting financial flexibility. Valero Q3 Earnings Call Highlights Refining and Cash Strength
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts remain constructive: Barclays raised its price target to $443 and retained an overweight rating, while Wells Fargo lifted its target to $489 and also maintained an overweight rating. Citigroup increased its target to $490, although it kept a neutral rating.
• Neutral Sentiment: Refining-sector momentum is strong but cyclical: Coverage emphasizes that Valero and other refiners are benefiting from tight fuel inventories and unusually high margins. Those conditions support near-term earnings but may be vulnerable to changes in crude prices, fuel demand, supply, or refinery utilization. Valero kicks off refiner results with record quarterly profit on higher margins
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and analyst disagreement are weighing on sentiment: Freedom Broker reaffirmed a sell rating and assigned a $276 price target, implying substantial downside from the referenced trading level. TD Cowen raised its target to $400 but maintained a hold rating, underscoring concerns that much of the refining upside may already be reflected in VLO’s valuation.

Valero Energy Price Performance

NYSE VLO opened at $419.19 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $393.03 and its 200-day moving average is $310.15. The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a market capitalization of $120.70 billion, a PE ratio of 9.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.25 and a beta of 0.59. Valero Energy Corporation has a 12-month low of $159.90 and a 12-month high of $461.52.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 22nd. The oil and gas company reported $23.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $21.17 by $2.73. The business had revenue of $46.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $42.71 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 8.44% and a return on equity of 47.50%. The firm’s revenue was up 43.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $3.66 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 52.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on VLO. Freedom Broker reaffirmed a “sell” rating and issued a $276.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Friday. Zacks Research raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $329.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. TD Cowen boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $375.00 to $400.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $467.00 price objective on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $379.94.

About Valero Energy

Valero Energy Corporation is an international energy company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. The company’s primary business is refining and marketing transportation fuels, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other products used by commercial, industrial and consumer customers.

Valero operates refineries in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Its refining operations also produce asphalt, petrochemical feedstocks and other petroleum-based products. The company markets fuel through wholesale channels and branded retail networks, including Valero, Beacon and Shamrock-branded locations.

In addition to conventional refining, Valero has businesses focused on renewable fuels.