KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Sells 15,700 Shares of Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS reduced its stake in Valero by 6.8%, selling 15,700 shares and now holds 214,261 shares (about 0.07%) valued at roughly $34.88 million.
• Wall Street sentiment is mixed-to-positive with several firms raising price targets (Barclays to $261, Goldman to $237, Raymond James to $290); MarketBeat shows an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $228.18.
• Valero beat Q1 estimates (EPS $3.82 vs. $3.27; revenue $30.37B vs. $28.20B) and is cited as a beneficiary of strong refinery margins, a diesel price spike, and its renewable fuels business—supporting near‑term earnings and capital-return prospects.

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS lowered its stake in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 6.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 214,261 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 15,700 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS owned approximately 0.07% of Valero Energy worth $34,880,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Highline Wealth Partners LLC lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 70.2% during the 3rd quarter. Highline Wealth Partners LLC now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. JPL Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Cypress Capital Management LLC WY bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Accordant Advisory Group Inc lifted its stake in Valero Energy by 194.4% during the 4th quarter. Accordant Advisory Group Inc now owns 212 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks added VLO to its Rank #1 (Strong Buy) / momentum lists this morning, a visible retail- and quant-focused endorsement that can attract short‑term buying and ETF/overlay flows. New Strong Buy Stocks for April 22nd
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators are flagging sustained upside from refinery margins, diesel strength and Valero’s capital returns — Seeking Alpha highlights potential windfall profits, large EBITDA scenarios and a buyback/dividend-driven 14% capital return case that supports higher long-term valuation. Valero: Windfall Profits Lead To 14% Capital Returns
• Positive Sentiment: Macro/refining tailwind — diesel prices have jumped and outlets note Valero as a beneficiary of the spike and of its push into renewable fuels, which supports near‑term earnings and sentiment. Diesel Is Up 50% in Weeks. Here Are 2 Stocks Quietly Benefiting From the Spike.
• Neutral Sentiment: Scotiabank raised its Valero price target sharply (from $178 to $226) and upgraded to “sector outperform” — a positive signal — but the PT still sits slightly below the current share price, making the net impact mixed for immediate upside. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Broad sector/peer headlines (BP earnings preview, offshore rig revenue notes like Nabors) are worth watching because refining margins and oil prices drive Valero’s earnings sensitivity, but these are indirect and won’t necessarily move VLO alone. Important Factors to Watch Ahead of BP's Q1 Earnings Release
• Negative Sentiment: Wolfe Research reiterated an “underperform” view and a $203 price target (well below the current level), and related analyst commentary flagged that Valero may be priced for peak margins and unsustainable cash flows — this can pressure sentiment and trigger profit-taking or a re-rating if investors follow the call. Valero: Priced for Peak Margins and Unsustainable Cash Flows, Warranting a Sell Rating

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

VLO has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $184.00 to $261.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $203.00 to $237.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 27th. Finally, Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $215.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $228.18.

Insider Transactions at Valero Energy

In related news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 400 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $238.60, for a total value of $95,440.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:VLO opened at $234.30 on Thursday. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $227.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $193.15. Valero Energy Corporation has a twelve month low of $110.00 and a twelve month high of $258.43. The company has a quick ratio of 1.11, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.06 billion, a PE ratio of 30.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 0.62.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.55. The firm had revenue of $30.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $28.20 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 12.35%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.64 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 19.03 EPS for the current year.

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.

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