Valero edges higher, trading 16% below its 52-week high
Valero Energy rose 0.29% to $388.48 on Oct. 28, leaving the refiner roughly 16% below its 52-week high of $461.52 but well above the $156.26 low. The stock trades at 17.68 times trailing earnings, with trailing EPS of $24.18. Revenue grew 12.6% year over year; EPS jumped 896%, a figure that reflects a depressed prior-year base. Net margin sits at 5.2%. Valero's Alpha Score of 69.1 (computed Oct. 26) is driven by momentum at 87.7 and quality at 71.9, with value at 59.4 and sentiment at 50. A separate GuruFocus GF Score of 66 flags low GF Value and weak future outperformance potential, a more cautious read that contrasts with the Alpha momentum sub-score. Sentiment in the sector was softer: the XLE ETF shed $121M on Sept. 30, trimming Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and Valero. Barron's this month argued that permanent capacity cuts support refiner margins even if crude normalizes, a thesis it applied to both Valero and Marathon.