Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Trading Down 4.2% After Analyst Downgrade

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) shares dropped 4.2% on Friday after Piper Sandler lowered their price target on the stock from $223.00 to $217.00. Piper Sandler currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Valero Energy traded as low as $182.61 and last traded at $183.3680. Approximately 2,252,264 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 58% from the average daily volume of 5,315,714 shares. The stock had previously closed at $191.32.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $169.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 17th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Valero Energy from $216.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, November 10th. Wall Street Zen lowered Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, January 3rd. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on Valero Energy from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $183.00.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

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

Valero Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Reports that Venezuelan oil shipments could resume indefinitely lifted expectations that refiners will get incremental feedstock and crude arbitrage opportunities, supporting earlier upside in VLO. Valero Energy Stock Climbs On Reports Of Indefinite Venezuelan Oil Flows And Eased Sanctions
• Positive Sentiment: President Trump’s planned meetings with major oil companies about rebuilding Venezuela’s industry raise the prospect of expedited permission or support that could benefit refiners and fuel suppliers. Trump to Meet With Chevron and Other Oil Companies on Venezuela. What We Know.
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target to $200 and kept an overweight rating, signaling bullish analyst conviction that supports upside. Analyst Price Target Move
• Positive Sentiment: Fundamental write-ups highlight Valero’s operational flexibility and value characteristics—its ability to process diverse crude and shift yields can help margins in volatile markets. How Valero’s Operational Flexibility Drives Profitability
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually high options volume indicates elevated trader interest and potential for short-term volatility, but it does not reveal directional conviction on its own. Valero Energy Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:VLO)
• Neutral Sentiment: Piper Sandler trimmed its price target slightly (from $223 to $217) but kept an overweight view; mixed analyst tweaks leave the consensus outlook positive but nuanced. Analyst Price Target Adjustment
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage caution: some analysts and commentaries warn the Venezuela narrative may be overplayed—major oil companies are likely to move slowly and are seeking guarantees before investing, which could delay any tangible benefit to refiners. Bessent says largest oil companies are likely to move slower in Venezuela
• Negative Sentiment: Critical pieces argue the Venezuela story is hype and that operational, legal and political obstacles could prevent sustained benefits—raising downside risk if optimism fades. Valero Energy: Sell The Venezuela Hype

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Valero Energy

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its holdings 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. lifted its position in 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 during the period. Caldwell Trust Co acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the second quarter valued at $1,666,000. Ninety One UK Ltd purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at $5,630,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 295.0% during the 3rd quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 8,295 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,412,000 after buying an additional 6,195 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average is $172.65 and its 200-day moving average is $159.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.29, a PEG ratio of 1.05 and a beta of 0.77. 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 (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.15 by $0.51. The business had revenue of $32.17 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.80 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.21% and a return on equity of 8.69%. The company’s revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.14 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, November 20th were given a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, November 20th. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.5%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 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.