JCIC Asset Management Inc. Purchases 710 Shares of Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO)

JCIC Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Valero Energy Co. (NYSE:VLO) by 1.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 48,734 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 710 shares during the period. Valero Energy accounts for about 2.4% of JCIC Asset Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest position. JCIC Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Valero Energy were worth $5,974,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

VLO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Valero Energy from $165.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Valero Energy from $172.00 to $151.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Valero Energy from $192.00 to $176.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, October 25th. BMO Capital Markets reduced 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. Finally, Barclays cut their target price on Valero Energy from $146.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Valero Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $154.57.

Valero Energy Trading Up 5.0 %

VLO stock traded up $6.31 on Monday, reaching $133.46. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,706,560 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,555,199. The firm has a market cap of $42.25 billion, a PE ratio of 11.97, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.42. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $130.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $138.89. 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 quick ratio of 1.11 and a current ratio of 1.57.

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The oil and gas company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.16. Valero Energy had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 13.07%. The firm had revenue of $32.88 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $7.49 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Valero Energy Co. will post 8.86 EPS for the current year.

Valero Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th were given a dividend of $1.07 per share. This represents a $4.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. Valero Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.39%.

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.