Adams Asset Advisors LLC Increases Holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

Adams Asset Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 71,703 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 587 shares during the quarter. Valero Energy comprises approximately 1.1% of Adams Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. Adams Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $8,790,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of VLO. Peterson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA purchased a new stake in shares of Valero Energy in the third quarter worth about $34,000. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in Valero Energy by 196.8% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 276 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Valero Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new stake in Valero Energy in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $50,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on VLO shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 9th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Valero Energy from $145.00 to $140.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Valero Energy from $175.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $154.57.

Valero Energy Stock Up 5.2 %

Shares of VLO stock traded up $6.57 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $133.72. The stock had a trading volume of 3,260,184 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,492,916. Valero Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $116.84 and a 12-month high of $184.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.57 and a quick ratio of 1.11. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $130.99 and its two-hundred day moving average is $138.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.04 billion. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $7.49 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th were paid a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 38.39%.

About Valero Energy

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.