Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc. Sells 39,900 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc. lowered its position in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO - Free Report) by 32.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 81,200 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 39,900 shares during the period. Valero Energy accounts for 1.6% of Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. 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 have also modified their holdings of the company. Sciencast Management LP acquired a new position in Valero Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $763,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Valero Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. boosted its position in Valero Energy by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 80,537 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $9,873,000 after buying an additional 3,912 shares during the last quarter. Boundary Creek Advisors LP acquired a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $11,033,000. Finally, Viawealth LLC raised its position in shares of Valero Energy by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Viawealth LLC now owns 12,293 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,507,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. 78.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Valero Energy from $160.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $158.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. Piper Sandler reduced 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 note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Valero Energy from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Valero Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $156.08.

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Valero Energy Stock Up 0.1 %

VLO stock traded up $0.07 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $132.02. 3,103,628 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,772,828. The firm has a market cap of $41.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.36. 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's 50 day simple moving average is $133.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $133.34.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.50. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.58%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 7.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, January 30th were given a $1.13 dividend. This represents a $4.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This is a positive change from Valero Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $1.07. Valero Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 53.30%.

Valero Energy Company 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.