Narwhal Capital Management Has $8.67 Million Stock Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Narwhal Capital Management lessened its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 17.5% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 50,897 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 10,833 shares during the quarter. Narwhal Capital Management’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $8,666,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Highline Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 70.2% during the third quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Hoey Investments Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Global Wealth Strategies & Associates acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. GFG Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in Valero Energy by 1,277.8% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 248 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 230 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Valero Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo and Barclays reaffirmed buy ratings on VLO, reinforcing institutional support that can underpin the stock. Wells Fargo Keeps Their Buy Rating on Valero Energy (VLO)
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target to $200 and keeps an overweight view, signaling analysts see upside versus recent levels. JPMorgan raises VLO target
• Positive Sentiment: Media and TV commentary (Jim Cramer) highlight refiners like Valero as potential beneficiaries if U.S. policy opens access to Venezuelan crude — a positive sentiment tailwind for refining margins and investor interest. Jim Cramer Says Refiners Like Valero as Potential Winners From Venezuelan Oil
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks notes Valero’s strong earnings surprise history and factors (operational flexibility, margin capture) that increase the odds of an earnings beat — a catalyst that could lift the stock if results beat again. Will Valero Energy (VLO) Beat Estimates Again?
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually high options volume indicates heavy positioning/speculation around VLO — can amplify moves in either direction but doesn’t signal a fundamental change alone. Valero Energy Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NYSE:VLO)
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of a White House meeting with oil majors (Barron’s) and comments that majors may move slowly into Venezuela (Reuters) create a mixed timeline: policy momentum exists, but execution and investment timelines remain uncertain. Trump to Meet With Chevron and Other Oil Companies on Venezuela Bessent says largest oil companies are likely to move slower in Venezuela
• Negative Sentiment: Critical analysis (Seeking Alpha) calls the “Venezuela hype” into question, arguing the upside may be overstated — this increased skepticism can pressure the stock if investors reassess realistic benefits. Valero Energy: Sell The Venezuela Hype
• Negative Sentiment: Reports that U.S. oil companies want firm guarantees before investing in Venezuela (FT/Reuters) highlight political, legal and investment risk — a material constraint on how quickly Valero could benefit. US oil companies say they need guarantees to invest in Venezuela
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler trimmed its price target (from $223 to $217) — a modest downgrade to upside expectations that can add downward pressure despite an overweight rating. Piper Sandler lowers PT

Valero Energy Trading Down 3.1%

Shares of VLO stock opened at $185.30 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.77. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1 year low of $99.00 and a 1 year high of $192.00. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $172.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $159.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The oil and gas company reported $3.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.15 by $0.51. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.21% and a return on equity of 8.69%. The company had revenue of $32.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.80 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.14 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on VLO shares. Zacks Research upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 22nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Tuesday. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $135.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a research report on Friday, September 19th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $162.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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 company’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 value of $1,728,540.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 134,196 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,352,787.92. This represents a 6.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.04% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.