Dakota Wealth Management Raises Stake in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Dakota Wealth Management lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 556.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 35,515 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 30,103 shares during the quarter. Dakota Wealth Management’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $5,781,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Mather Group LLC. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 2,627 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $428,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH increased its stake in Valero Energy by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 184,728 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $30,072,000 after purchasing an additional 6,071 shares in the last quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Valero Energy by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 4,743 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $772,000 after purchasing an additional 330 shares during the last quarter. Norden Group LLC boosted its position in Valero Energy by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 4,086 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $665,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Argentarii LLC boosted its position in Valero Energy by 4.9% during the fourth quarter. Argentarii LLC now owns 1,910 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $311,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Stock Up 2.6%

VLO opened at $254.58 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $76.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.32, a PEG ratio of 0.62 and a beta of 0.70. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $209.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $183.67. Valero Energy Corporation has a 52 week low of $99.00 and a 52 week high of $255.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.27 by $0.55. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 12.35%. The company had revenue of $30.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.64 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 5th were paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 5th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Valero Energy’s payout ratio is currently 62.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $197.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Zacks Research cut shares of Valero Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Mizuho restated a “neutral” rating and set a $192.00 target price (up from $190.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Friday, December 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $217.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and ten have issued 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 target price of $199.53.

Valero Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Crack spreads and an upgrade boosted profit expectations for refiners — analysts and investors are lifting VLO on improving refining margins, a key driver of near‑term cash flow. Valero Energy Shares Follow Crack Spreads Higher (Rating Upgrade)
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullishness increased: Raymond James raised its price target to $290 and Scotiabank reaffirmed a buy — both add upside narrative and institutional support. Raymond James Financial Raises Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) Price Target to $290.00 Scotiabank Reaffirms Their Buy Rating on Valero Energy (VLO)
• Positive Sentiment: Erste Group raised FY2026 and FY2027 EPS forecasts materially, signaling expectations for much higher earnings than consensus — this lifts forward valuation metrics for VLO. (Research note cited by market coverage.)
• Positive Sentiment: Operational recovery: Valero has begun restarting its 380k bpd Port Arthur refinery after the recent explosion, which reduces near‑term production disruption risk and supports revenue recovery. Valero begins restart of Port Arthur, Texas refinery, sources say
• Positive Sentiment: Sector tailwinds: Energy stocks and oil prices have rallied on Middle East tensions, lifting refiners’ top lines and supporting VLO’s momentum. Wall Street follows global markets lower with missiles fired at Israel and confusion on peace talks
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro headwinds: rising global bond yields and growing odds of further Fed tightening are increasing equity volatility and could cap multiple expansion for cyclical names like VLO. US Stock Market Today S&P 500 Futures Steady As Rate Hike Worries Build
• Negative Sentiment: Legal & safety overhang: a worker sued Valero over injuries from the Port Arthur explosion seeking damages; while the suit appears limited in dollar size vs. market cap, it raises operational/safety scrutiny and potential legal costs. Valero has responded publicly. Worker sues Valero over Texas refinery explosion

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 400 shares of Valero Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $238.60, for a total value of $95,440.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.04% 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.