Why Valero Energy (VLO) Stock Is Down Today

Valero Energy (VLO) is down 3.1% today. Here is some analysis on what might have caused this price movement.

Analysis: There does not appear to be a fresh company-specific announcement tied to today’s decline, so the move looks most likely related to a broader pullback in refining stocks and some profit-taking ahead of earnings. This could also reflect investors revisiting Valero’s near-term operating outlook after earlier disclosures around reduced Port Arthur rates and the Benicia refinery idling.

Details:

Valero’s next scheduled catalyst is its second-quarter 2026 earnings release and conference call on July 30, so traders may be repositioning before updated results and guidance.

In first-quarter results, Valero reported net income attributable to stockholders of $1.3 billion, or $4.22 per share, showing strong recent profitability but also setting a high bar for expectations.

Valero’s second-quarter guidance called for lower Gulf Coast throughput because of reduced rates at the Port Arthur refinery, and lower West Coast throughput because of the Benicia refinery idling.

Valero’s March quarter filing said the Port Arthur refinery fire led to a full shutdown before the site resumed operations at reduced capacity, with possible added 2026 capital spending still to be determined.

Sources:

Valero Investor Relations, SEC, Nasdaq

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.

EARLY ACCESS

Receive VLO Data Alerts

Real-time alerts on filings, insider trades, and market signals — before everyone else.

Get Alerts →

$VLO Hedge Fund Activity

We have seen 891 institutional investors add shares of $VLO stock to their portfolio, and 664 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
WELLINGTON MANAGEMENT GROUP LLP removed 1,020,610 shares (-43.8%) from their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $252,172,318
AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL INC added 917,456 shares (+16.3%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $226,685,028

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.