Opal Capital LLC Buys New Position in Valero Energy Corporation $VLO

Key Points

• Opal Capital LLC acquired 36,104 Valero shares worth approximately $8.9 million in the first quarter, making VLO its 14th-largest holding. Institutional investors collectively own 78.69% of Valero.
• Valero exceeded first-quarter earnings expectations, reporting $4.22 EPS versus the $3.16 consensus, while revenue rose 7% year over year to $32.38 billion. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.20, or $4.80 annually, yielding about 1.6%.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $266.71 price target, although elevated expectations face risks from higher crude costs, weaker refining margins and renewable-diesel volatility.

Opal Capital LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 36,104 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $8,921,000. Valero Energy makes up 1.6% of Opal Capital LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest holding.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Friedenthal Financial acquired a new stake in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $954,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its stake in shares of Valero Energy by 24.7% during the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 565,171 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $92,004,000 after buying an additional 112,118 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 212,104 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $37,812,000 after acquiring an additional 5,694 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,079,000. Finally, Sierra Summit Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 2,325.2% in the fourth quarter. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC now owns 36,378 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $5,922,000 after acquiring an additional 34,878 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Elevated gasoline and diesel crack spreads, along with resilient fuel demand, are expected to support Valero’s second-quarter results for the period ended June 2026. Strong refining margins could lead to results that meet or exceed Wall Street expectations. Valero Energy Q2 Earnings on Deck: What's in Store for the Stock?
• Positive Sentiment: Refiners including VLO have benefited from disruptions linked to Iran-related tensions, which have contributed to tighter fuel markets and unusually strong crack spreads. Buybacks and dividends add to the sector’s shareholder-return appeal. Refiner Stocks Are Near Record Highs—Can Iran-Driven Margins Keep Them There?
• Positive Sentiment: Higher oil prices related to geopolitical tensions and rising energy demand are helping keep energy stocks, including Valero, in focus as investors look for companies that can benefit from constrained supply. Oil Prices Are Surging and These 4 Stocks Are Cashing In
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are concentrating on Valero’s revenue, earnings and operating metrics ahead of the quarterly release. The estimates create the potential for a positive or negative earnings reaction depending on the size of any beat or miss. Gear Up for Valero Energy Q2 Earnings: Wall Street Estimates for Key Metrics
• Negative Sentiment: High crude costs could pressure refining spreads, while volatility in Valero’s renewable diesel business may make earnings less predictable. These risks could limit further upside if margins normalize or the company’s results fall short of elevated expectations. Valero Energy Q2 Earnings on Deck: What's in Store for the Stock?

Valero Energy Trading Down 1.8%

Valero Energy stock opened at $299.32 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $266.89 and a 200 day simple moving average of $236.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $88.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.75, a PEG ratio of 0.20 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 52 week low of $130.78 and a 52 week high of $320.24.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 15.94% and a net margin of 3.37%.The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.38 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.89 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Valero Energy Corporation will post 36.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 31st. Investors of record on Friday, July 31st will be paid a $1.20 dividend. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 31st. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio is 34.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently issued reports on VLO shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Valero Energy from $220.00 to $292.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Valero Energy from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, April 6th. Weiss Ratings raised Valero Energy from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Valero Energy from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, April 4th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $259.00 to $302.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $266.71.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 7,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.17, for a total transaction of $2,011,275.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 19,742 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,294,212.14. This trade represents a 27.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

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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