VLO options flow: unusual options activity in Valero Energy Corp.
Updated 28 September 2026, 09:54 ET
Over the last week the tape recorded 315 unusual options prints in Valero Energy Corp. (VLO), $35.1M of tracked premium, leaning bullish. Bullish premium was $16.8M against $12.6M bearish; $14.9M went into calls and $20.2M into puts, a put call ratio of 1.36. The largest print was $4.6M of VLO 21 Jan 2028 $500 puts on 24 September 2026, executed at bid. The last session with prints, 25 September 2026, added 51 prints and $3.9M of premium. VLO closed at $387.18 on 25 September 2026, up 1.1%.
This week's unusual flow
Prints from 21 September 2026 to 25 September 2026, 5 sessions. Delayed tier: every print is shown twenty minutes after it executed, and the page is rebuilt after each session.
Net premium is bullish minus bearish premium. The put call ratio is put premium divided by call premium, weighted by money rather than by contract count. Sweeps is the share of prints executed across several exchanges at once. Read the guide: Reading the Pulse.
Largest prints of the week
| Date | Contract | Type | Size | Open int. | Premium | Execution | Sentiment | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Sep 2026 | VLO 21 Jan 2028 $500 puts | Trade | 300 | 20 | $4.6M | At bid | Bullish | Whale |
| 23 Sep 2026 | VLO 15 Dec 2028 $330 calls | Sweep | 137 | 864 | $1.7M | At ask | Bullish | Whale |
| 21 Sep 2026 | VLO 15 Dec 2028 $330 calls | Trade | 100 | 765 | $1.5M | At ask | Bullish | Whale |
| 23 Sep 2026 | VLO 21 Jan 2028 $300 calls | Sweep | 100 | 750 | $1.3M | At bid | Bearish | Whale |
| 23 Sep 2026 | VLO 21 Jan 2028 $300 calls | Sweep | 105 | 750 | $1.2M | At bid | Bearish | Whale |
| 21 Sep 2026 | VLO 19 Mar 2027 $400 puts | Trade | 200 | 344 | $978K | At bid | Bullish | High conviction |
| 22 Sep 2026 | VLO 18 Dec 2026 $500 calls | Sweep | 928 | 300 | $844K | At bid | Bearish | Whale |
| 22 Sep 2026 | VLO 17 Sep 2027 $500 puts | Trade | 36 | 38 | $500K | At ask | Bearish | Notable |
| 24 Sep 2026 | VLO 19 Mar 2027 $350 calls | Sweep | 65 | 161 | $480K | At bid | Neutral | Notable |
| 22 Sep 2026 | VLO 17 Jun 2027 $400 puts | Sweep | 70 | 86 | $455K | At midpoint | Neutral | Notable |
| 22 Sep 2026 | VLO 18 Dec 2026 $230 calls | Sweep | 30 | 1,091 | $453K | At bid | Neutral | Notable |
| 23 Sep 2026 | VLO 23 Oct 2026 $400 calls | Sweep | 301 | 33 | $390K | At bid | Neutral | High conviction |
Size above open interest means the trade opened a position larger than everything that existed in the contract the night before. Above ask and below bid are the most aggressive executions. Read the guide: Size versus open interest.
Where the money is aimed
| Expiry | Prints | Premium | Calls share | Net premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Jan 2028 | 12 | $8.6M | 31% | +$1.3M |
| 18 Dec 2026 | 46 | $4.2M | 64% | +$327K |
| 16 Oct 2026 | 59 | $4.1M | 10% | +$365K |
| 15 Dec 2028 | 8 | $3.9M | 100% | +$3.9M |
| 25 Sep 2026 | 44 | $2.8M | 19% | -$1.2M |
| 19 Mar 2027 | 15 | $2.1M | 45% | +$821K |
The most premium, $8.6M, is aimed at the 21 Jan 2028 expiry; the nearest expiry with unusual prints is 25 Sep 2026.
A print in a contract expiring this week is a view about the next few days, often about a known event; a print months out is a different kind of statement. Read the guide: 0DTE options flow.
The last session, 25 September 2026
| Date | Contract | Type | Size | Open int. | Premium | Execution | Sentiment | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Sep 2026 | VLO 21 Jan 2028 $500 puts | Trade | 20 | 330 | $314K | At ask | Bearish | Notable |
| 25 Sep 2026 | VLO 16 Oct 2026 $370 puts | Sweep | 200 | 919 | $240K | At bid | Neutral | Notable |
| 25 Sep 2026 | VLO 16 Oct 2026 $370 puts | Sweep | 139 | 919 | $228K | At ask | Bearish | High conviction |
| 25 Sep 2026 | VLO 23 Oct 2026 $400 calls | Sweep | 129 | 512 | $180K | At bid | Bearish | High conviction |
| 25 Sep 2026 | VLO 21 Jan 2028 $500 puts | Trade | 10 | 330 | $158K | At ask | Bearish | Notable |
Every print in VLO with its full detail, the live tape, one tap filters and saved screeners: open VLO in Options Sentiment Screener.
Price
The live quote and the price chart sit beside the ticker's flow in the app: open VLO in Options Sentiment Screener.
Analysts
The most recent analyst targets on file, from 15 firms, have a median of $350, 9.6% below the last close. The last 90 days brought 1 downgrade.
Calls bought at a strike above the average target are a bet that the analysts are too cautious; puts far below the price in a name they like are protection or a strong disagreement. Read the guide: Reading one ticker's flow.
About Valero Energy Corp.
- Exchange
- NYSE
- Sector
- Energy
- Industry
- Petroleum And Natural Gas
- Headquarters
- Wilmington, Texas
- Website
- valero.com
Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells transportation fuels and petrochemical products. The company operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol. As of December 31, 2021, the company owned 15 petroleum refineries with a combined throughput capacity of approximately 3.2 million barrels per day.
In the same sector
Flow pages for other Energy names in the S&P 500:
XOM ExxonMobil Holdings Corp.CVX Chevron Corp.COP ConocoPhillipsMPC Marathon Petroleum Corp.PSX Phillips 66WMB Williams Companies, Inc.SLB SLB LimitedEOG EOG Resources Inc.
Learn
- What unusual options activity means
- Reading one ticker's flow
- Sweeps, blocks and where a trade printed
- Size versus open interest
- Bullish or bearish, how a print's sentiment is inferred
- The conviction score and whale prints
The live tape for VLO with every print's execution detail, one tap filters for calls, puts, sweeps and 0DTE, saved screeners and, for Realtime subscribers, push alerts and no delay. The same screen is in the iOS and Android apps.
Open VLO in Options Sentiment Screener