WP Advisors LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

WP Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 8.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 33,064 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,198 shares during the quarter. Valero Energy accounts for 1.3% of WP Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. WP Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $5,383,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $275,239,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 17.7% in the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,706,187 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $286,076,000 after purchasing an additional 256,373 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 5.0% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 5,273,517 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $897,869,000 after purchasing an additional 249,195 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 13.3% in the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,929,599 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $328,534,000 after purchasing an additional 226,167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 96.5% in the third quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 444,919 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $75,752,000 after purchasing an additional 218,448 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on VLO. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Saturday, April 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $178.00 to $226.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Argus upgraded shares of Valero Energy to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $215.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Two investment 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $228.18.

Valero Energy News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded VLO from “hold” to “strong-buy” — a clear catalyst attracting buyers and momentum-following flows. Zacks.com
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks has repeatedly highlighted VLO on its Rank #1 (Strong Buy) momentum lists and published bullish commentary on VLO’s growth profile, supporting optimism among retail and quant traders. Best Momentum Stocks
• Positive Sentiment: A bullish industry write-up argues Valero can sustain high crack spreads and deliver strong capital returns (dividends + buybacks), underpinning a longer-term constructive view. Seeking Alpha
• Neutral Sentiment: Scotiabank raised its price target to $226 and kept a “sector outperform” rating — a positive signal on fundamentals, though the $226 target sits slightly below the current stock price. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Valero is expected to report quarterly earnings this week; the print will be a key near-term catalyst that could amplify either the bullish or bearish views. Earnings Preview
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research reiterated an “underperform” rating with a $203 price target — a notable bearish signal from a sell-side firm that introduces downside sentiment and may weigh on institutional appetite. Wolfe Research

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 8,311 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.69, for a total transaction of $1,892,331.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 42,242 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,618,080.98. This trade represents a 16.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of VLO stock opened at $234.30 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $70.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.67, a PEG ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 0.62. Valero Energy Corporation has a one year low of $110.00 and a one year high of $258.43. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $227.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $193.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.11.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.55. The firm had revenue of $30.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $28.20 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 12.35%. The company’s revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 19.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.