For most investors, how much a stock's price changes over time is important. Not only can it impact your investment portfolio, but it can also help you compare investment results across sectors and industries.
Another factor that can influence investors is FOMO, or the fear of missing out, especially with tech giants and popular consumer-facing stocks.
What if you'd invested in Valero Energy (VLO) ten years ago? It may not have been easy to hold on to VLO for all that time, but if you did, how much would your investment be worth today?
Valero Energy's Business In-Depth
With that in mind, let's take a look at Valero Energy's main business drivers.
Valero Energy Corporation, through its subsidiaries, is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products. The company is headquartered in San Antonio, TX. It was founded in 1980 and is one of the largest independent refiners and marketers of petroleum products in the United States.Valero operates 14 petroleum refineries located in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. These refineries have combined throughput capacity of approximately 3 million barrels per day. The refining system includes high-complexity assets with access to inland and imported crudes, product exports and wholesale supply.
The company sells its products primarily in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Latin America. Its brand names are carried by around 7,000 outlets. Valero also has wholesale marketing and logistics assets that support product distribution.
Valero owns 12 ethanol plants in the U.S. Mid-Continent region. These plants have combined production capacity of approximately 1.7 billion gallons per year. The Ethanol segment includes sales of internally produced ethanol and distillers’ grains.
The company is a joint venture member in Diamond Green Diesel Holdings LLC. Diamond Green Diesel produces low-carbon fuels, including renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel, in the U.S. Gulf Coast region. The business has production capacity of approximately 1.2 billion gallons per year. It processes animal fats, used cooking oils, vegetable oils and inedible distillers corn oils.
Valero manages its operations through three reportable segments, namely Refining, Renewable Diesel and Ethanol.
The Refining segment includes refining operations, wholesale marketing, product supply and distribution, and transportation operations. This segment is segregated geographically into the Gulf Coast, Mid-Continent, West Coast and North Atlantic regions.
The Renewable Diesel segment includes the operations of Diamond Green Diesel. It produces renewable diesel, renewable naphtha and sustainable aviation fuel.
The Ethanol segment includes the company’s ethanol plants and related product sales. It sells internally produced ethanol and distillers’ grains.
Bottom Line
Anyone can invest, but building a successful investment portfolio takes a combination of a few things: research, patience, and a little bit of risk. So, if you had invested in Valero Energy a decade ago, you're probably feeling pretty good about your investment today.
According to our calculations, a $1000 investment made in July 2016 would be worth $5,980.75, or a gain of 498.08%, as of July 15, 2026, and this return excludes dividends but includes price increases.
The S&P 500 rose 248.64% and the price of gold increased 193.40% over the same time frame in comparison.
Looking ahead, analysts are expecting more upside for VLO.
Valero's Neutral stance balances refining scale, flexible feedstock access, export reach and disciplined cash returns against execution and valuation risks. Its 14 refineries with throughput capacity of 3 MMbls/d can process discounted heavy sour crude and adjust yields as markets change, while gasoline, diesel and jet demand support global product pull. Renewable diesel, SAF and ethanol add low-carbon fuel exposure, and the St. Charles FCC optimization project should lift high-value product output. Liquidity, buybacks and a higher dividend support capital flexibility. However, Port Arthur repair uncertainty, Benicia-related throughput and depreciation effects, shifting trade and renewable fuel policy, and a dividend yield below the industry composite temper the upside after a sharp share-price advance and limit near-term risk-reward.
Over the past four weeks, shares have rallied 23.47%, and there have been 6 higher earnings estimate revisions in the past two months for fiscal 2026 compared to none lower. The consensus estimate has moved up as well.
Radical New Technology Could Hand Investors Huge Gains
Quantum Computing is the next technological revolution, and it could be even more advanced than AI.
While some believed the technology was years away, it is already present and moving fast. Large hyperscalers, such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Oracle, and even Meta and Tesla, are scrambling to integrate quantum computing into their infrastructure.
Senior Stock Strategist Kevin Cook reveals 7 carefully selected stocks poised to dominate the quantum computing landscape in his report, Beyond AI: The Quantum Leap in Computing Power .
Kevin was among the early experts who recognized NVIDIA's enormous potential back in 2016. Now, he has keyed in on what could be "the next big thing" in quantum computing supremacy. Today, you have a rare chance to position your portfolio at the forefront of this opportunity.
See Top Quantum Stocks Now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Valero Energy Corporation (VLO): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).