13,963 Shares in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Purchased by United Capital Financial Advisors LLC

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 13,963 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,636,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3,400.0% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 105 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $27,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Valero Energy during the first quarter worth $28,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Valero Energy by 134.0% in the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 117 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. Finally, Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Key Valero Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Tight refining market supports margins: Historically low fuel inventories, limited excess refining capacity and ongoing supply disruptions are creating a favorable environment for higher crack spreads. Valero’s flexible, complex coastal refinery network is well positioned to process various crude grades and supply multiple fuel markets. Valero Energy Looks Well Placed in the Tight Global Refining Market
• Positive Sentiment: Strong second-quarter performance and estimates: Valero’s second-quarter 2026 results reportedly showed substantial year-over-year improvement in adjusted EPS and revenue. Rising consensus estimates and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) indicate that analysts are becoming more constructive on the company’s earnings prospects. Did Strong Q2 2026 Earnings and Refining Tailwinds Just Shift Valero Energy’s Investment Narrative?
• Positive Sentiment: Relative market strength and favorable valuation: VLO recently gained while the broader market declined. Its low PEG ratio compared with industry peers may be adding to the stock’s appeal, particularly as refining profitability expectations improve. Valero Energy Gains as Market Dips
• Negative Sentiment: One analyst downgrade: Erste Group Bank AG lowered Valero from “buy” to “hold,” which could limit upside sentiment after the stock’s strong advance and near-record trading levels. Finviz Valero Analyst Update

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Valero Energy from $286.00 to $357.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, June 12th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $329.00 target price on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $288.00.

Valero Energy Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $352.66 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $101.54 billion, a PE ratio of 14.63, a PEG ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.55. Valero Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $150.10 and a twelve month high of $353.00. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $303.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $259.07.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.11 by $2.43. The company had revenue of $44.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $39.47 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 26.74% and a net margin of 5.17%.Valero Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 48.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.28 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 40.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a $1.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

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

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.