Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Stock: Hosking Partners LLP Decreases Holdings

Hosking Partners LLP lowered its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 9.6% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 36,369 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,846 shares during the period. Hosking Partners LLP’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $14,097,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Inlet Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $291,000. Sowell Financial Services LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Sowell Financial Services LLC now owns 20,885 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $8,095,000 after buying an additional 440 shares in the last quarter. Englebert Financial Advisers LLC acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $235,000. City State Bank raised its stake in Valero Energy by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. City State Bank now owns 1,621 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $628,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, QP Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $1,423,000. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Valero Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Higher refining margins are raising expectations for Valero’s third-quarter performance. As a major independent petroleum refiner, VLO could benefit from improved crack spreads and stronger profitability in its core refining business. Valero Energy’s Q3 Earnings Approach: Higher Refining Margins Fuel Optimism
• Positive Sentiment: Valero’s recent momentum has attracted attention from investors. The stock had gained 2.53% over the prior week, reflecting expectations that the earnings report could benefit from favorable refining conditions. Valero Energy Is Up 2.53% in One Week
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street is focusing not only on revenue and earnings, but also on key operating metrics expected with the third-quarter results. The report could determine whether the recent rally is supported by fundamentals. Insights Into Valero Energy Q3: Wall Street Projections for Key Metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: The company’s earnings announcement is the immediate focus for traders, increasing the likelihood of heightened volatility around the release. Valero previously reported a strong quarter, with earnings and revenue exceeding expectations, which sets a high bar for another upside surprise.
• Negative Sentiment: A report indicated that Valero shares fell 1.80% amid the run-up to the scheduled results, suggesting some profit-taking or caution ahead of the announcement. Investors may also be concerned that favorable refining-margin expectations are already reflected in the stock. Valero Energy Scheduled Results
• Negative Sentiment: Geopolitical disruptions have contributed to higher diesel costs, creating potential pressure on fuel consumers and operating expenses. The proposed $8 billion farmer relief program could cushion diesel demand, but it also underscores continued energy-market instability. Trump Announces $8B Bailout for Farmers

Analyst Ratings Changes

VLO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Bank of America raised their price objective on Valero Energy from $395.00 to $414.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Zacks Research raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Raymond James Financial upped their target price on Valero Energy from $350.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on Valero Energy from $365.00 to $457.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $329.00 to $435.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $382.62.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $436.56 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $125.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.11, a PEG ratio of 0.27 and a beta of 0.59. 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 Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $156.26 and a fifty-two week high of $461.52. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $389.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $308.10.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.11 by $2.43. The firm had revenue of $44.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.47 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 26.74% and a net margin of 5.17%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 48.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.28 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 52.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Company Profile

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.