Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc. Cuts Stock Position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc. reduced its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 32.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 81,200 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 39,900 shares during the quarter. Valero Energy comprises approximately 1.6% of Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 17th largest position. Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $9,954,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Valero Energy by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 123,356 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $14,751,000 after buying an additional 455 shares during the period. Kieckhefer Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter worth $1,226,000. Hudson Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Valero Energy by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Hudson Capital Management LLC now owns 31,792 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,897,000 after acquiring an additional 1,937 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $274,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in Valero Energy by 7.5% in the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 89,762 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $12,121,000 after purchasing an additional 6,278 shares during the period. 78.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Valero Energy Stock Performance

Shares of VLO stock opened at $131.42 on Friday. Valero Energy Co. has a 1 year low of $116.84 and a 1 year high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57. The firm has a market cap of $41.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.50, a PEG ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $133.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $133.48.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a return on equity of 9.58% and a net margin of 2.13%. Analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a $1.13 dividend. This is an increase from Valero Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.44%. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 53.30%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on VLO. Mizuho cut their price target on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $149.00 to $144.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.08.

Valero Energy Profile

Valero Energy Corporation manufactures, markets, and sells petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America, Mexico, Peru, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Refining, Renewable Diesel, and Ethanol.