Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Sets New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) shares reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $187.50 and last traded at $187.2020, with a volume of 621550 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $178.27.

Key Valero Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Michael Burry spotlight — renewed media coverage that Burry holds VLO and sees it as a beneficiary if the U.S. engages to revive Venezuela’s oil industry has driven retail and momentum interest in the name. This narrative is a primary driver of recent buying. Michael Burry Was Right About Valero Energy. Is He Right About an AI Bubble?
• Positive Sentiment: BMO reiterates Buy — BMO’s maintained Buy and $195 target (reported via TipRanks) reinforces analyst confidence in Valero’s refining economics and shareholder return potential, supporting upside expectations versus peers. Valero Energy: Structurally Advantaged Refining…
• Positive Sentiment: Short-term technical/order-flow tailwind — a Power Inflow alert and heavy intraday volume spikes flagged by market trackers drew short?term traders into VLO, helping fuel the earlier rally. These flows can amplify moves in either direction. Valero Energy Shares Rise Nearly 3% After Key Trading Signal
• Neutral Sentiment: Benicia refinery shutdown — Valero plans to close its Benicia refinery and will increase gasoline imports to Northern California rather than fully exiting the market; the move reduces local refining throughput but management says supply will be backstopped via imports. Watch margins and logistics costs as the closure is implemented. Valero to keep importing gasoline after Benicia refinery closure…
• Negative Sentiment: Profit?taking and market context trimmed gains — analysts and market writeups note that VLO has pulled back from an earlier sharp intraday jump, and broader market rotations have pressured the stock despite positive headlines. This explains current downward movement. Valero Energy (VLO) Stock Falls Amid Market Uptick…
• Negative Sentiment: Minor insider selling flagged — data summaries note recent insider sales (CFO) and some institutional reshuffling; while not large enough alone to change fundamentals, it can add to near?term selling pressure if momentum fades. Valero Energy Corporation Stock (VLO) Opinions on Venezuela…

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on VLO. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their target price on Valero Energy from $181.00 to $194.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 10th. Zacks Research raised Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 22nd. Erste Group Bank started coverage on Valero Energy in a report on Monday, November 10th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. TD Cowen increased their target price on Valero Energy from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $216.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $183.20.

Valero Energy Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The business has a 50-day moving average of $171.96 and a 200 day moving average of $158.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.62 billion, a PE ratio of 38.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.77.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.15 by $0.51. The firm 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.14 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, December 18th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, November 20th were given a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 94.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Valero Energy news, CFO Jason W. Fraser sold 9,933 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $174.02, for a total transaction of $1,728,540.66. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 134,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,352,787.92. This trade represents a 6.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Valero Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Hoey Investments Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy in the second quarter worth $26,000. GFG Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 70.2% in the 3rd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in Valero Energy by 1,277.8% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 248 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Valero Energy

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.