Artemis Investment Management LLP Buys 55,036 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• Artemis Investment Management LLP increased its stake in Valero by 122.4%, buying 55,036 shares to hold 100,011 shares valued at $16.28 million, and institutional investors now own 78.69% of the company.
• Valero beat Q1 expectations, reporting $4.22 EPS versus $3.16 expected and $32.38B revenue, and said it will run its 13 refineries at up to 95% combined throughput in Q2 to support margins and free cash flow.
• Analyst sentiment has turned more positive with multiple price-target increases and a MarketBeat consensus target of $236.71, reflecting an overall "Moderate Buy" rating.

Artemis Investment Management LLP raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 122.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 100,011 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 55,036 shares during the period. Artemis Investment Management LLP's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $16,281,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. SevenBridge Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 7.9% during the 4th quarter. SevenBridge Financial Group LLC now owns 1,500 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $244,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares during the last quarter. Composition Wealth LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 19.7% in the fourth quarter. Composition Wealth LLC now owns 3,000 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $488,000 after purchasing an additional 493 shares during the last quarter. Horizon Investments LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 46.3% in the fourth quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 12,197 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,986,000 after purchasing an additional 3,860 shares during the last quarter. Essex Bank raised its stake in Valero Energy by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Essex Bank now owns 3,105 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $505,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 8,775 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,429,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Valero Energy stock opened at $247.12 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $232.26 and a 200-day moving average price of $196.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.64. Valero Energy Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $114.76 and a fifty-two week high of $258.43. The company has a market capitalization of $73.90 billion, a PE ratio of 17.96, a P/E/G ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 0.58.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. The company had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.96% and a net margin of 3.37%.Valero Energy's revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.89 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 23.1 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on VLO shares. Argus raised shares of Valero Energy to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $182.00 to $222.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Valero Energy from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Valero Energy from $236.00 to $263.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $236.71.

Key Valero Energy News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings and revenue beat — Valero reported $4.22 EPS and $32.38B revenue, a sharp rebound from a loss a year earlier as refining and renewable diesel margins surged; the print topped Street estimates and was accompanied by a positive press release. Valero Energy Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Operational strength — Valero plans to run its 13 refineries in the U.S. and U.K. at up to 95% of combined throughput (~3.0M bpd) in Q2, supporting margin capture and free cash flow potential. Valero to run refineries up to 95% capacity in Q2 2026, conf call
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst revisions — Erste Group lifted FY2026 and FY2027 EPS forecasts materially, reflecting the stronger margin outlook and boosting earnings estimates. (Analyst note summarized in coverage)
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term value view — Zacks highlights Valero as a top value stock for long-term investors based on style scores; useful for buy-and-hold thesis but less relevant to intra-day moves. Why Valero Energy (VLO) is a Top Value Stock for the Long-Term
• Negative Sentiment: Sector headwinds and macro uncertainty — Broader “Big Oil” commentary warns of a tug-of-war (geopolitical news, margins volatility) that could keep energy stocks volatile and cap multiple expansion despite Valero’s beat. Big Oil Earnings Set To Sharply Decline. Blame This Tug-Of-War.
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term profit-taking risk — After a significant run toward a 52-week high, traders may be trimming positions, contributing to the pullback despite strong fundamentals. (Market technical/flow effect)

Insider Buying and Selling at Valero Energy

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 400 shares of the company's 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.