Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Sold by Willis Investment Counsel

Willis Investment Counsel lowered its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 53.0% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 49,000 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 55,300 shares during the quarter. Willis Investment Counsel’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $18,993,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Invenio Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $206,000. ARK & TLK Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $230,000. Parkway Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the third quarter valued at about $4,100,000. CWA Asset Management Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 20,186 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $7,824,000 after acquiring an additional 1,608 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Retirement Planning Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the third quarter worth $296,000. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on VLO. TD Cowen increased their target price on Valero Energy from $338.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $401.00 to $394.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $329.00 to $435.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. Raymond James Financial boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $350.00 to $450.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Bank of America upped their target price on Valero Energy from $395.00 to $414.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $382.62.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.1%

VLO traded up $0.37 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $433.68. 1,091,202 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,300,053. The stock has a market cap of $124.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.29 and a beta of 0.59. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $385.50 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $305.39. Valero Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $156.26 and a fifty-two week high of $461.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.23.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released 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. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 26.74% and a net margin of 5.17%. The firm had revenue of $44.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $39.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.28 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 48.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 51.77 EPS for the current year.

Key Stories Impacting Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Valero was included in Zacks’ Rank #1 (Strong Buy) list of growth stocks, providing a favorable quantitative signal ahead of its earnings report. Best Growth Stocks to Buy for October 19th
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street projections for the quarter ended September 2026 are being examined beyond revenue and earnings, including key operating metrics. The preview offers context for potential results but does not provide reported figures or a confirmed earnings surprise. Insights Into Valero Energy Q3: Wall Street Projections for Key Metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: Valero’s October 22 earnings date remains the immediate catalyst. Investors are likely focused on refining margins, fuel demand, guidance and cash returns when the company reports. Valero Energy stock stands at EUR 391.25 ahead of October 22 results
• Neutral Sentiment: A broader rebound in technology and artificial-intelligence stocks lifted overall market sentiment, but the development is not specific to Valero’s refining fundamentals. Markets Edge Higher Amid Tech Rebound
• Negative Sentiment: DBS Bank downgraded Valero to Hold while assigning a $436 price target. The downgrade may be weighing on the stock because it signals more limited near-term upside, particularly after Valero’s strong run and proximity to its 52-week high. DBS Bank Downgrades Valero Energy to Hold

Valero Energy 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.