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Valero Energy's Q1 Earnings Miss on Lower Refining Margins
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Valero Energy Corporation (VLO - Free Report) reported first-quarter 2025 adjusted loss of $1.90 per share, in contrast to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of earnings of 43 cents. The company reported earnings of $3.82 in the year-ago quarter. (Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.)
Total quarterly revenues decreased from $31,759 million in the prior-year quarter to $30,258 million. The top line, however, beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $28,450 million.
The weak quarterly earnings can primarily be attributed to its West Coast asset impairment, heavy maintenance activity across refining systems and a steep drop in refining margins, which together weighed on profitability.
Valero Energy Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Adjusted operating income in the Refining segment totaled $605 million, down from $1.8 billion in the year-ago quarter. The figure also missed our estimate of $1,022 million. The segment was affected due to a significantly lower refining margin per barrel of throughput in the first quarter.
In the Ethanol segment, Valero reported an adjusted operating profit of $20 million, down from $39 million reported in the prior-year quarter. The figure also missed our estimate of $55.1 million.
Operating loss in the Renewable Diesel segment totaled $141 million against an operating income of $190 million in the year-ago quarter. Renewable diesel sales volume declined to 2,435 thousand gallons per day from 3,729 thousand gallons per day in the year-ago quarter. Our estimate for the same was pinned at 3,718 thousand gallons per day. The segment was affected by a lower renewable diesel margin per gallon of sales compared with the year-ago period.
VLO’s Throughput Volumes
In the first quarter, Valero’s refining throughput volumes totaled 2,828 thousand barrels per day (MBbls/d), up from the year-ago figure of 2,760 MBbls/d. Our estimate for the same was pegged at 2,786 MBbls/d.
In terms of feedstock composition, sweet crude, medium/light sour crude and heavy sour crude accounted for 55.2%, 8.3% and 19.6%, respectively, of the total volume. The remaining volume came from residuals, other feedstock, and blendstocks and others.
The Gulf Coast contributed 59.1% to the total throughput volume. Mid-Continent, North Atlantic and West Coast regions accounted for 16%, 17.4% and 7.5%, respectively, of the total throughput volume.
VLO’s Throughput Margins
The refining margin per barrel of throughput declined to $9.78 from the year-ago level of $14.07.
Refining operating expenses per barrel of throughput were $5.07 compared with $4.71 in the year-ago quarter.
Depreciation and amortization expenses decreased to $2.33 per barrel from $2.39 in the prior-year period.
Valero’s adjusted refining operating income was $2.38 per barrel of throughput compared with $6.97 a year ago.
VLO’s Cost of Sales
Total cost of sales decreased to $29,751 million from the year-ago quarter’s figure of $29,776 million. This was primarily due to a decrease in the cost of materials and others.
Capital Investment & Balance Sheet of VLO
The first-quarter capital investment totaled $660 million, of which $582 million was allocated toward sustaining the business.
The company had cash and cash equivalents of $4.6 billion at the end of the first quarter. As of March 31, 2025, it had a total debt of $8.5 billion and finance lease obligations of $2.3 billion.
VLO’s Zacks Rank and Key Picks
VLO currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Investors interested in the energy sector may look at some better-ranked stocks like Archrock Inc. (AROC - Free Report) , Kinder Morgan, Inc. (KMI - Free Report) and Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (EPD - Free Report) . While Archrock presently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Kinder Morgan and Enterprise Products carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) each. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Archrock is an energy infrastructure company based in the United States with a focus on midstream natural gas compression. AROC provides natural gas contract compression services and generates stable fee-based revenues.
Archrock’s earnings beat estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and met once, delivering an average surprise of 8.81%.
Kinder Morgan is a leading midstream player in North America with a stable and resilient business model, largely driven by take-or-pay contracts, which ensure consistent earnings and facilitate reliable capital returns to shareholders. KMI operates one of the largest natural gas pipeline networks, positioning it to benefit from the projected increase in U.S. natural gas demand by 2030.
Kinder Morgan’s earnings missed estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and met once, delivering an average negative surprise of 3.33%.
Enterprise generates stable fee-based revenues from its vast network of oil and gas pipelines spanning 50,000 miles, connecting prolific U.S. shale plays. Notably, the acquisition of Pinon Midstream, which aims to provide services in the prolific Permian Basin, is expected to drive the partnership’s cash flows. This move enhances its NGL value chain and addresses regional infrastructure constraints, with strong customer demand expected to boost revenues.
EPD’s earnings beat estimates in two of the trailing four quarters and missed in the other two, delivering an average surprise of 1.83%.
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Valero Energy's Q1 Earnings Miss on Lower Refining Margins
Valero Energy Corporation (VLO - Free Report) reported first-quarter 2025 adjusted loss of $1.90 per share, in contrast to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of earnings of 43 cents. The company reported earnings of $3.82 in the year-ago quarter. (Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.)
Total quarterly revenues decreased from $31,759 million in the prior-year quarter to $30,258 million. The top line, however, beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $28,450 million.
The weak quarterly earnings can primarily be attributed to its West Coast asset impairment, heavy maintenance activity across refining systems and a steep drop in refining margins, which together weighed on profitability.
Valero Energy Corporation Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Valero Energy Corporation price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Valero Energy Corporation Quote
Segmental Performance of VLO
Adjusted operating income in the Refining segment totaled $605 million, down from $1.8 billion in the year-ago quarter. The figure also missed our estimate of $1,022 million. The segment was affected due to a significantly lower refining margin per barrel of throughput in the first quarter.
In the Ethanol segment, Valero reported an adjusted operating profit of $20 million, down from $39 million reported in the prior-year quarter. The figure also missed our estimate of $55.1 million.
Operating loss in the Renewable Diesel segment totaled $141 million against an operating income of $190 million in the year-ago quarter. Renewable diesel sales volume declined to 2,435 thousand gallons per day from 3,729 thousand gallons per day in the year-ago quarter. Our estimate for the same was pinned at 3,718 thousand gallons per day. The segment was affected by a lower renewable diesel margin per gallon of sales compared with the year-ago period.
VLO’s Throughput Volumes
In the first quarter, Valero’s refining throughput volumes totaled 2,828 thousand barrels per day (MBbls/d), up from the year-ago figure of 2,760 MBbls/d. Our estimate for the same was pegged at 2,786 MBbls/d.
In terms of feedstock composition, sweet crude, medium/light sour crude and heavy sour crude accounted for 55.2%, 8.3% and 19.6%, respectively, of the total volume. The remaining volume came from residuals, other feedstock, and blendstocks and others.
The Gulf Coast contributed 59.1% to the total throughput volume. Mid-Continent, North Atlantic and West Coast regions accounted for 16%, 17.4% and 7.5%, respectively, of the total throughput volume.
VLO’s Throughput Margins
The refining margin per barrel of throughput declined to $9.78 from the year-ago level of $14.07.
Refining operating expenses per barrel of throughput were $5.07 compared with $4.71 in the year-ago quarter.
Depreciation and amortization expenses decreased to $2.33 per barrel from $2.39 in the prior-year period.
Valero’s adjusted refining operating income was $2.38 per barrel of throughput compared with $6.97 a year ago.
VLO’s Cost of Sales
Total cost of sales decreased to $29,751 million from the year-ago quarter’s figure of $29,776 million. This was primarily due to a decrease in the cost of materials and others.
Capital Investment & Balance Sheet of VLO
The first-quarter capital investment totaled $660 million, of which $582 million was allocated toward sustaining the business.
The company had cash and cash equivalents of $4.6 billion at the end of the first quarter. As of March 31, 2025, it had a total debt of $8.5 billion and finance lease obligations of $2.3 billion.
VLO’s Zacks Rank and Key Picks
VLO currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Investors interested in the energy sector may look at some better-ranked stocks like Archrock Inc. (AROC - Free Report) , Kinder Morgan, Inc. (KMI - Free Report) and Enterprise Products Partners L.P. (EPD - Free Report) . While Archrock presently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), Kinder Morgan and Enterprise Products carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) each. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Archrock is an energy infrastructure company based in the United States with a focus on midstream natural gas compression. AROC provides natural gas contract compression services and generates stable fee-based revenues.
Archrock’s earnings beat estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and met once, delivering an average surprise of 8.81%.
Kinder Morgan is a leading midstream player in North America with a stable and resilient business model, largely driven by take-or-pay contracts, which ensure consistent earnings and facilitate reliable capital returns to shareholders. KMI operates one of the largest natural gas pipeline networks, positioning it to benefit from the projected increase in U.S. natural gas demand by 2030.
Kinder Morgan’s earnings missed estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and met once, delivering an average negative surprise of 3.33%.
Enterprise generates stable fee-based revenues from its vast network of oil and gas pipelines spanning 50,000 miles, connecting prolific U.S. shale plays. Notably, the acquisition of Pinon Midstream, which aims to provide services in the prolific Permian Basin, is expected to drive the partnership’s cash flows. This move enhances its NGL value chain and addresses regional infrastructure constraints, with strong customer demand expected to boost revenues.
EPD’s earnings beat estimates in two of the trailing four quarters and missed in the other two, delivering an average surprise of 1.83%.