Petra Financial Advisors Inc. Grows Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Petra Financial Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) by 83.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 6,509 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,954 shares during the quarter. Valero Energy accounts for about 1.0% of Petra Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Petra Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $1,608,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in VLO. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 0.6% in the first quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 6,670 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,648,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC now owns 975 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $159,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 32.9% in the 4th quarter. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC now owns 206 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Providence Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,610 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,564,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, KPP Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Valero Energy by 2.5% in the 1st quarter. KPP Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,156 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $533,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VLO has been the subject of several research reports. Zacks Research cut Valero Energy from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 22nd. Citigroup raised their price target on Valero Energy from $259.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Mizuho lifted their price target on Valero Energy from $222.00 to $289.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $255.76.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total value of $2,011,275.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,294,212.14. The trade was a 27.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company’s stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $314.77 on Wednesday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $261.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $231.89. The stock has a market cap of $93.46 billion, a PE ratio of 22.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 0.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.58. Valero Energy Corporation has a one year low of $130.78 and a one year high of $318.22.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The company had revenue of $32.38 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.38 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.89 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 32.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be given a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.88%.

Key Stories Impacting Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target on Valero Energy to $338 from $292, suggesting additional upside even though the firm kept a hold rating. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted Valero as a top long-term growth stock, reinforcing the view that the refiner still has strong fundamentals and investor appeal. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Valero has been trading near record levels after a recent breakout to a new 52-week high, indicating strong technical momentum. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Erste Group Bank reportedly raised its FY2026 EPS estimate for Valero, but no additional details were provided. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader energy-sector headlines remain mixed, with strong refinery economics supporting some names while other refining-related stories point to uneven earnings trends elsewhere in the group. Article

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.