Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Bought by Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

Key Points

• Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its stake in Valero by 12.2% in Q4 to 45,839 shares, valued at about $7.46 million.
• Valero beat Q1 estimates with $4.22 EPS (vs. $3.16 expected) and $32.38B revenue, and said it will run its 13 refineries at up to 95% capacity in Q2 to capture stronger margins and free cash flow.
• Wall Street's consensus is a Moderate Buy with a $236.71 price target, and institutional investors own roughly 78.7% of the company.

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 12.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 45,839 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,980 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.'s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $7,462,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 17.4% during the 3rd quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 160,794 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $27,377,000 after acquiring an additional 23,859 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $4,534,000. Cerity Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 9.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 104,859 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $17,853,000 after acquiring an additional 8,638 shares during the last quarter. Tema Etfs LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,669,000. Finally, National Pension Service lifted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 3.6% during the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 491,134 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $83,620,000 after acquiring an additional 17,165 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.69% of the company's stock.

Valero Energy Trading Down 2.2%

Valero Energy stock opened at $247.12 on Friday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $73.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.35, a PEG ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.58. Valero Energy Corporation has a one year low of $114.76 and a one year high of $258.43. The company's fifty day moving average price is $232.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $196.27.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $4.22 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.16 by $1.06. The firm had revenue of $32.38 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.38 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 3.37% and a return on equity of 15.96%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 7.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.89 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 23.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on VLO. Zacks Research upgraded Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Valero Energy from $182.00 to $222.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Citigroup increased their target price on Valero Energy from $246.00 to $259.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on Valero Energy from $247.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $236.71.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Valero Energy news, SVP Eric A. Fisher sold 8,311 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.69, for a total transaction of $1,892,331.59. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 42,242 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,618,080.98. This represents a 16.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.36% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Key Headlines Impacting Valero Energy

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)

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.

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.