Valero Energy Corporation $VLO Shares Sold by Banque Cantonale Vaudoise

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise trimmed its stake in Valero by 25.4% in Q3, selling 4,547 shares and finishing the quarter with 13,361 shares valued at about $2.275 million.
• Large institutions are buying (notably Norges Bank, Geode and Charles Schwab) and analysts hold a "Moderate Buy" consensus as Valero beat quarterly EPS estimates and raised its quarterly dividend to $1.20 (annualized $4.80).
• Risk: short interest rose ~14.5% in February to roughly 13.4 million shares (~4.5% of float), which could amplify price volatility despite sector tailwinds.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise trimmed its stake in Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 25.4% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,361 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 4,547 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise's holdings in Valero Energy were worth $2,275,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of VLO. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy during the second quarter worth about $827,390,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Valero Energy by 16.7% in the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,141,511 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,089,897,000 after purchasing an additional 1,164,217 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in Valero Energy by 162.5% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 523,692 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $70,395,000 after buying an additional 324,174 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Valero Energy by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,724,707 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,576,035,000 after buying an additional 286,942 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its position in Valero Energy by 17.7% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,706,187 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $286,076,000 after buying an additional 256,373 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Valero Energy

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analysts highlight Valero as an attractive dividend stock due to solid cash flow, a shareholder-friendly payout profile and a yield that looks compelling relative to peers — supporting buy-side interest. Why Valero Energy (VLO) is a Great Dividend Stock Right Now
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street flows are rotating into U.S. refiners with conviction; institutional buying and strong sector earnings are cited as key reasons money is moving into names like Valero. Refiners Are Quiet Winners in 2026: Wall Street's Signals Are Hard to Ignore
• Positive Sentiment: Geopolitical risk from the Strait of Hormuz disruption has pushed crude and product prices higher; articles note refiners and integrated energy names can benefit if higher fuel spreads persist. Best stocks to invest in as Hormuz crisis sends oil majors higher
• Positive Sentiment: Rising diesel and jet-fuel prices are creating attractive refining margins for companies that process middle distillates; coverage points to refiners, including Valero, as beneficiaries of tighter product markets. Diesel Is Sending an Economic Warning. These Refiners Could Benefit.
• Positive Sentiment: Market pieces tracking 2026 performance flag Valero among the top-performing energy stocks YTD, reinforcing momentum-driven buying. Valero Energy (VLO) and Baker Hughes (BKR) Stocks Surge While First Solar (FSLR) Sinks in 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation reviews note strong recent price momentum and fundamentals, prompting investors to reassess how Valero fits into portfolios — positive momentum but valuation scrutiny remains. Valero Energy (VLO) Valuation Check After Strong Recent Share Price Momentum
• Neutral Sentiment: Data/chart resources and sector earnings from other producers (e.g., Canadian Natural) are being cited by market watchers — useful context for relative performance but not direct catalysts for VLO. Valero Energy Corp. (Chart)
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose ~14.5% in February to ~13.4M shares (≈4.5% of float) with a ~6.1 days-to-cover metric — higher short exposure can amplify volatility and pressure during pullbacks.
• Negative Sentiment: Some headlines noted a recent intraday slide in VLO on a prior session, a reminder that momentum can reverse and that intraday weakness has occurred even amid the broader sector rally. Valero Energy (VLO) Stock Slides as Market Rises: Facts to Know Before You Trade

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $192.00 price objective (up from $190.00) on shares of Valero Energy in a report on Friday, December 12th. Zacks Research cut shares of Valero Energy from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Valero Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $169.00 to $184.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, November 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $187.67.

Valero Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE VLO opened at $231.17 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 stock has a fifty day moving average price of $195.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $176.62. Valero Energy Corporation has a 1-year low of $99.00 and a 1-year high of $232.99. The company has a market cap of $69.13 billion, a PE ratio of 30.26, a P/E/G ratio of 1.11 and a beta of 0.70.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 29th. The oil and gas company reported $3.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.55. The company 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%. Valero Energy's revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.64 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Valero Energy Corporation will post 7.92 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 9th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 5th were paid a dividend of $1.20 per share. This represents a $4.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is a positive change from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.13. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 5th. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.83%.

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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