3 Refining & Marketing Stocks to Watch Amid a Challenging Environment

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In recent quarters, fuel margins for companies in the Zacks Oil and Gas - Refining & Marketing industry have declined, falling significantly below the peak levels seen in 2022. Although strong demand and light product inventories should continue to support the sector, most operators anticipate subdued margins for the remainder of 2024. Additionally, rising costs due to persistent inflation are further squeezing profits. But on a somewhat positive note, the refiners are likely to benefit from robust gasoline and distillate demand trends. For those interested in the space, we have earmarked three stocks — Valero Energy VLO, Murphy USA MUSA and Galp Energia GLPEY.

Industry Overview

The Zacks Oil and Gas - Refining & Marketing industry consists of companies involved in selling refined petroleum products (including heating oil, gasoline, jet fuel, residual oil, etc.) and a plethora of non-energy materials (like asphalt, road salt, clay and gypsum). Some companies also operate refined product terminals, storage facilities and transportation services. The primary activity of these firms involves buying crude/other feedstocks and processing them into a wide variety of refined products. Refining margins are extremely volatile and generally reflect the state of petroleum product inventories, demand for refined products, imports, regional differences and capacity utilization in the industry. Other major determinants of refining profitability are the light/heavy and sweet/sour spreads. Refiners are also prone to unplanned outages.

3 Trends Defining the Oil and Gas - Refining & Marketing Industry's Future

Refining Margins Under Pressure: Refining margins, while still healthy, have weakened from the exceptional highs of 2022, with crack spreads narrowing due to lower refined product prices relative to crude oil. Elevated inventories and demand uncertainties pose additional risks to profitability. Despite sanctions and price controls, Russia's shift of oil exports to India and China has prevented the anticipated tightening of global product supplies. This dynamic has contributed to the recent decline in refinery margins, weighing on the earnings of downstream companies.     

Refiners Poised for Growth Amid Rising Product Demand: Recently, refiners have benefited from strong demand for gasoline and diesel, driven by strength in travel and mobility. According to the U.S. Energy Department, gasoline inventories are slightly below the five-year average and distillate stocks are 9% lower, indicating robust market utilization. This highlights the significant usage of oil products. As economic activity remains resilient and Americans engage in travel, consumption of refined products is expected to gain momentum throughout 2024, benefiting refiners from increased driving and international travel trends.

Supply-Chain Challenges: Despite the relatively bullish energy landscape and improved demand environment, the industry has not been immune to supply-chain disruptions and cost inflation. Macro issues like higher transportation expenses, driver scarcity and labor shortages have limited refiners' ability to deliver volumes to their customers. What’s worse is that these headwinds across the system and the subsequent hit to profitability (due to difficulty in passing through the increased costs to clients) are expected to continue in the near future.