Key insights
- The author argues that Valero (VLO) is a strong oil stock due to its refining of Venezuelan crude and benefiting from geopolitical tensions, specifically potential Strait of Hormuz closures. They cite Valero's YTD and past year performance as evidence, attributing past dips to broader market downturns rather than company-specific issues. The analysis suggests a bullish outlook for Valero based on its operational advantages and geopolitical factors.
From 2019 til the start of the pandemic I was a journalist reporting on the geopolitical issues in Venezuela and have followed issues in the country, since taking an interest in their state oil company and more importantly the American company who the heavy crude native to Venezuela. I don't have a large portfolio. It consistly solely of Valero and the website we're all using Reddit.
Valero has performed well during the Maduro regime and after the shift towards the Rodriguez administration and its efforts in liberalizing the oil sector. Equally or potentially more importantly the tensions involving the closure of the Strait Of Hormuz have benefitted Valero's stock price. Here's some reading on the matter:
The numbers speak for themselves. Valero is up 46.35% YTD and 81.16% in the past year
https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/quote/VLO/
This is not a fluke either. This is how Valero generally performs. The only time I ever had to dump it was during the slump of 2024 which wasn't reflective of Valero. The entire market was down. So for the long haul I've stayed bullish on Valero. 🛢🛢