Comerica Bank Cuts Stake in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• Comerica Bank cut its stake in Valero by 10.5% in Q4, selling 7,336 shares and ending the period with 62,264 shares valued at about $10.14 million.
• Insider selling was recorded — SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 400 shares at $238.60 on March 12 for $95,440 — and insiders now own only 0.36% of the stock, a potential caution signal.
• Wall Street sentiment has firmed with several upgrades (Wells Fargo $292, Raymond James $290, Zacks to Strong Buy) and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" (target ~$235.94), supported by stronger refining margins and the stock trading up roughly 4.5%.

Comerica Bank reduced its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 10.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 62,264 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 7,336 shares during the quarter. Comerica Bank's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $10,136,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Montecito Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Montecito Bank & Trust now owns 3,909 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $636,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares during the period. Waddell & Associates LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 2.8% during the third quarter. Waddell & Associates LLC now owns 2,040 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $347,000 after buying an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. DSG Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 1.6% during the third quarter. DSG Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,803 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $647,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. River Street Advisors LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. River Street Advisors LLC now owns 12,107 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,971,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Childress Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Valero Energy by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,945 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $479,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Valero Energy

In other news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 400 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.60, for a total transaction of $95,440.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.36% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $220.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Zacks Research raised shares of Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Raymond James Financial lifted their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $215.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $235.94.

Key Headlines Impacting Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Refining margins have strengthened—especially diesel/distillate—driven by Middle East supply disruptions and higher oil prices; traders are positioning ahead of Valero’s Q1 earnings (scheduled Apr 30), and operational progress at Port Arthur has eased outage risk. Valero Energy rises as refining margins stay elevated and traders position ahead of earnings
• Positive Sentiment: Recent analyst upgrades and higher earnings forecasts have lifted sentiment — Wall Street estimates for near‑term EPS were revised up, supporting the stock’s momentum. How Investors Are Reacting To Valero Energy (VLO) Upgraded Earnings Forecasts And Refining Margin Strength
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank raised FY2026/FY2027 EPS estimates substantially (and maintains a Sector Outperform rating), which supports higher forward earnings expectations. MarketBeat VLO coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: VLO was added to Zacks’ Rank #1 (Strong Buy) growth list, a short‑term signal that can attract momentum buyers but doesn’t change fundamentals. Best Growth Stocks to Buy for April 29th
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre‑earnings analyst deep dives on Q1 metrics (throughput, margins, inventory) are circulating — these shape near‑term expectations but outcomes will depend on the print. Insights Into Valero Energy (VLO) Q1: Wall Street Projections for Key Metrics
• Negative Sentiment: Insider activity shows multiple sales (no purchases) in recent months, which can be read as a cautionary signal by some investors. Valero Energy rises as refining margins stay elevated and traders position ahead of earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage notes “mixed” analyst targets and mentions of lawsuit-related news — these items introduce headline risk and may temper upside if legal/target uncertainty persists. How The Valero Energy (VLO) Narrative Is Shifting With Mixed Analyst Targets And Lawsuit News

Valero Energy Trading Up 4.5%

NYSE:VLO opened at $251.06 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $231.19 and a 200-day moving average of $195.87. The company has a market cap of $75.07 billion, a PE ratio of 32.86, a PEG ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.62. Valero Energy Corporation has a one year low of $112.23 and a one year high of $258.43.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.55. The company had revenue of $30.37 billion during 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 firm's revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.64 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 21.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

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