Valero Energy (VLO) slides as crude sells off and traders reassess near-term margin signals

Valero Energy Corporation (VLO) is down 3.0% today. Here is some analysis on what might have caused this price movement.

Analysis: The move looks mostly macro-driven, with the broader energy complex weakening as crude prices pulled back, which can pressure refinery equities even when product fundamentals are mixed. Separately, fresh weekly U.S. inventory data showed a build in distillates, a data point that can weigh on expectations for diesel-driven cracks. Some additional churn may be related to near-term company-specific uncertainty around outage/throughput normalization and capital spending visibility.

Details:

Oil prices traded lower during the session, creating a risk-off backdrop for U.S. refiners and compressing near-term sentiment on refining margins.

Weekly U.S. petroleum data showed crude and gasoline inventories falling while distillate inventories rose, which can be read as a softer signal for diesel fundamentals versus prior weeks.

Valero recently declared a regular quarterly dividend of $1.20 per share, payable June 23, 2026, to stockholders of record as of May 21, 2026, which can drive short-term positioning around the record date.

Company guidance has highlighted operational moving parts (including reduced rates tied to Port Arthur and the Benicia idling), leaving investors sensitive to any perceived change in near-term throughput and cost assumptions.

Sources:

Valero Energy, U.S. Energy Information Administration, Pipeline & Gas Journal

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 4 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 4 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 3 sales selling 8,711 shares for an estimated $1,987,772.
JASON W. FRASER (EVP & CFO) sold 9,933 shares for an estimated $1,728,539

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 965 institutional investors add shares of $VLO stock to their portfolio, and 748 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
STATE STREET CORP added 1,437,811 shares (+7.9%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $355,254,341
MILLENNIUM MANAGEMENT LLC added 1,281,437 shares (+1850.8%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $316,617,453
INVESCO LTD. removed 1,054,565 shares (-29.0%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $171,672,636
WELLINGTON MANAGEMENT GROUP LLP removed 1,020,610 shares (-43.8%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $252,172,318

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 Congressional Stock Trading

Members of Congress have traded $VLO stock 1 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 1 have been sales.

Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $VLO stock by members of Congress over the last 6 months:

REPRESENTATIVE GILBERT RAY CISNEROS, JR. sold up to $15,000 on 01/09.

To track congressional stock trading, check out Quiver Quantitative's congressional trading dashboard. You can access data on congressional stock trades through the Quiver Quantitative API Congress trades endpoint.

$VLO Price Targets

Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $VLO recently. We have seen 15 analysts offer price targets for $VLO in the last 6 months, with a median target of $255.0.

Here are some recent targets:

Vikram Bagri from Citigroup set a target price of $259.0 on 05/01/2026
Jason Gabelman from TD Cowen set a target price of $255.0 on 04/27/2026
Joe Laetsch from Morgan Stanley set a target price of $222.0 on 04/24/2026
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
Ryan Todd from Piper Sandler set a target price of $263.0 on 04/08/2026
Theresa Chen from Barclays set a target price of $261.0 on 04/08/2026

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.