Valero Energy (VLO) is down 3.1% today. Here is some analysis on what might have caused this price movement.
Analysis: The most likely driver appears to be profit-taking after a sharp run in refining stocks, rather than a single new company-specific blowup. Valero just posted very strong second-quarter results, so a drop like this can happen when traders shift focus from backward-looking earnings strength to whether refining margins stay elevated through the rest of 2026. This could also be because investors are reassessing how much of the recent margin surge is sustainable.
Details:
Valero reported second-quarter 2026 net income attributable to stockholders of $3.7 billion, or $12.62 per share, a large jump from $714 million, or $2.28 per share, in the year-earlier period.The company declared a regular quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, payable on August 31, 2026, and disclosed that $1.4 billion remained under its share repurchase authorization as of June 30, 2026.Industry fundamentals have been strong, with U.S. fuel inventories tight and refinery margins elevated during the second quarter, which helped drive the sector’s rally.Even so, the government’s latest energy outlook points to narrower crack spreads later in 2026 as inventories stabilize and the summer driving season fades, which can pressure refinery valuations before earnings actually weaken.Sources:
Valero Energy, SEC, U.S. Energy Information Administration
Disclaimer: This price movement analysis was generated with the help of AI. Please double-check the information provided for mistakes.
$VLO Insider Trading Activity
$VLO insiders have traded $VLO stock on the open market 6 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 6 have been sales.
Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $VLO stock by insiders over the last 6 months:
- ERIC A FISHER (SVP) has made 0 purchases and 6 sales selling 31,211 shares for an estimated $7,662,924.
To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard. You can access data on insider stock transactions through the Quiver Quantitative API insider transaction endpoint.
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$VLO Hedge Fund Activity
We have seen 912 institutional investors add shares of $VLO stock to their portfolio, and 770 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.
Here are some of the largest recent moves:
- CHARLES SCHWAB INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC removed 9,007,160 shares (-75.4%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $2,225,489,092
- PRICE T ROWE ASSOCIATES INC /MD/ removed 1,890,894 shares (-18.9%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $467,202,089
- FMR LLC added 1,609,265 shares (+23.8%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $397,617,196
- MILLENNIUM MANAGEMENT LLC added 1,281,437 shares (+1850.8%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $316,617,453
- WELLINGTON MANAGEMENT GROUP LLP removed 1,020,610 shares (-43.8%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $252,172,318
- AMUNDI added 806,018 shares (+45.3%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $199,150,927
- FRANKLIN RESOURCES INC added 743,955 shares (+13.1%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $183,816,401
To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard. You can access data on hedge funds moves and 13F filings through the Quiver Quantitative API 13F endpoint.
$VLO Price Targets
Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $VLO recently. We have seen 13 analysts offer price targets for $VLO in the last 6 months, with a median target of $270.0.
Here are some recent targets:
- Theresa Chen from Barclays set a target price of $279.0 on 07/01/2026
- Jason Gabelman from TD Cowen set a target price of $292.0 on 06/29/2026
- Joe Laetsch from Morgan Stanley set a target price of $255.0 on 06/12/2026
- Nitin Kumar from Mizuho set a target price of $289.0 on 05/27/2026
- Vikram Bagri from Citigroup set a target price of $259.0 on 05/01/2026
- Betty Zhang from Scotiabank set a target price of $226.0 on 04/22/2026
- Doug Leggate from Wolfe Research set a target price of $203.0 on 04/21/2026
This article is not financial advice. See Quiver Quantitative's disclaimers for more information. Note that there may be inaccuracies due to mistakes in ticker-mapping, and other anomalies.
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Valero Energy falls as investors digest a strong quarter and a less certain margin outlook
Valero Energy (VLO) is down 3.1% today. Here is some analysis on what might have caused this price movement.
Analysis: The most likely driver appears to be profit-taking after a sharp run in refining stocks, rather than a single new company-specific blowup. Valero just posted very strong second-quarter results, so a drop like this can happen when traders shift focus from backward-looking earnings strength to whether refining margins stay elevated through the rest of 2026. This could also be because investors are reassessing how much of the recent margin surge is sustainable.
Details:
Sources:
Valero Energy, SEC, U.S. Energy Information Administration
Disclaimer: This price movement analysis was generated with the help of AI. Please double-check the information provided for mistakes.
$VLO Insider Trading Activity
$VLO insiders have traded $VLO stock on the open market 6 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 6 have been sales.
Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $VLO stock by insiders over the last 6 months:
To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard. You can access data on insider stock transactions through the Quiver Quantitative API insider transaction endpoint.
$VLO Hedge Fund Activity
We have seen 912 institutional investors add shares of $VLO stock to their portfolio, and 770 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.
Here are some of the largest recent moves:
To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard. You can access data on hedge funds moves and 13F filings through the Quiver Quantitative API 13F endpoint.
$VLO Price Targets
Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $VLO recently. We have seen 13 analysts offer price targets for $VLO in the last 6 months, with a median target of $270.0.
Here are some recent targets:
This article is not financial advice. See Quiver Quantitative's disclaimers for more information. Note that there may be inaccuracies due to mistakes in ticker-mapping, and other anomalies.
Read full article here »