CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. Takes Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

CTC Alternative Strategies Ltd. bought a new stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,700 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $443,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,111,542,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $1,195,943,000. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $275,239,000. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 2,635.7% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 950,527 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $154,736,000 after buying an additional 915,782 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 45.3% in the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 2,584,976 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $638,695,000 after buying an additional 806,018 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Tight refining market supports margins: Historically low fuel inventories, limited excess refining capacity and ongoing supply disruptions are creating a favorable environment for higher crack spreads. Valero’s flexible, complex coastal refinery network is well positioned to process various crude grades and supply multiple fuel markets. Valero Energy Looks Well Placed in the Tight Global Refining Market
• Positive Sentiment: Strong second-quarter performance and estimates: Valero’s second-quarter 2026 results reportedly showed substantial year-over-year improvement in adjusted EPS and revenue. Rising consensus estimates and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) indicate that analysts are becoming more constructive on the company’s earnings prospects. Did Strong Q2 2026 Earnings and Refining Tailwinds Just Shift Valero Energy’s Investment Narrative?
• Positive Sentiment: Relative market strength and favorable valuation: VLO recently gained while the broader market declined. Its low PEG ratio compared with industry peers may be adding to the stock’s appeal, particularly as refining profitability expectations improve. Valero Energy Gains as Market Dips
• Negative Sentiment: One analyst downgrade: Erste Group Bank AG lowered Valero from “buy” to “hold,” which could limit upside sentiment after the stock’s strong advance and near-record trading levels. Finviz Valero Analyst Update

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Raymond James Financial upped their price target on Valero Energy from $300.00 to $340.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $350.00 target price on Valero Energy in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Erste Group Bank downgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $280.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $288.00.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $352.66 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $101.54 billion, a PE ratio of 14.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.23 and a beta of 0.55. Valero Energy Corporation has a one year low of $150.10 and a one year high of $353.00. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $303.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $259.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.64.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The oil and gas company reported $12.54 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.11 by $2.43. The firm had revenue of $44.48 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $39.47 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 5.17% and a return on equity of 26.74%. The firm’s revenue was up 48.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.28 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 40.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. This represents a $4.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.92%.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 19,742 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,294,212.14. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.36% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Valero Energy Company 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.