Valero Energy Earnings: Best Fourth Quarter Since 2005

…We also continued construction on our St. Charles hydrocracker, which is scheduled for start-up in the second quarter of 2013.  We believe these projects are perfectly suited for the current environment of strong distillate margins and inexpensive natural gas.”

Key Stats:

Revenue decreased 0.07% from $34.73 billion in the previous quarter. Net income increased 49.85% from $674 million in the previous quarter.

Looking Forward: Analysts have a more negative outlook for the company’s next-quarter performance. Over the past three months, the average estimate for next quarter’s earnings has fallen from a profit of $0.91 to a profit $0.81. For the current year, the average estimate has moved up from a profit of $4.49 to a profit of $4.84 over the last ninety days.

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(Company fundamentals provided by Xignite Financials.)