Oil and Gas 360


  • Reported a net loss attributable to Valero stockholders of $359 million, or $0.88 per share, for the fourth quarter and $1.4 billion, or $3.50 per share, for the year.

Valero Energy reports 2020 fourth quarter and full year results and declares regular cash dividend on common stock- oil and gas 360

  • Reported an adjusted net loss attributable to Valero stockholders of $429 million, or $1.06 per share, for the fourth quarter and $1.3 billion, or $3.12 per share, for the year.
  • Returned $400 million in cash to stockholders through dividends in the fourth quarter and $1.8 billion through dividends and stock buybacks in the year.
  • Declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.98 per share.
  • Completed and started up the St. Charles Alkylation unit on schedule and under budget.
  • Approved a new 470 million gallons per year renewable diesel plant at Valero’s Port Arthur refinery (DGD 3), which is expected to commence operations in 2023.

Valero Energy Corporation (NYSE: VLO, “Valero”) today reported a net loss attributable to Valero stockholders of $359 million, or $0.88 per share, for the fourth quarter of 2020, compared to net income of $1.1 billion, or $2.58 per share, for the fourth quarter of 2019. Excluding the adjustments shown in the accompanying earnings release tables, the adjusted net loss attributable to Valero stockholders was $429 million, or $1.06 per share, for the fourth quarter of 2020, compared to fourth quarter 2019 adjusted net income attributable to Valero stockholders of $873 million, or $2.13 per share. Fourth quarter 2020 adjusted results exclude the after-tax benefit from a LIFO liquidation adjustment of $70 million.

For the year ended December 31, 2020, the net loss attributable to Valero stockholders was $1.4 billion, or $3.50 per share, compared to net income of $2.4 billion, or $5.84 per share, in 2019. Excluding the adjustments shown in the accompanying earnings release tables, the adjusted net loss attributable to Valero stockholders was $1.3 billion, or $3.12 per share, for 2020, compared to adjusted net income attributable to Valero stockholders of $2.4 billion, or $5.70 per share, in 2019.

“We expect to see continued improvement in product demand with widespread vaccine distribution around the world,” said Joe Gorder, Valero Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We also expect a faster recovery in refining margins with the continued shutdowns and conversions of uncompetitive refineries.”

Refining

The refining segment reported a $377 million operating loss for the fourth quarter of 2020, compared to operating income of $1.4 billion for the fourth quarter of 2019. Excluding a LIFO liquidation adjustment and other operating expenses, the fourth quarter 2020 adjusted operating loss was $476 million. Refinery throughput volumes averaged 2.6 million barrels per day in the fourth quarter of 2020, which was 468 thousand barrels per day lower than the fourth quarter of 2019.

Operationally, the refining segment achieved record employee safety performance, process safety and environmental performance in 2020. “Despite the pandemic-induced financial challenges, our commitment to safety and environmental stewardship never wavered,” said Gorder.

Renewable Diesel

The renewable diesel segment, which consists of the Diamond Green Diesel (DGD) joint venture, reported $127 million of operating income for the fourth quarter of 2020, compared to $541 million for the fourth quarter of 2019. After adjusting for the retroactive blender’s tax credit in 2019, adjusted renewable diesel operating income was $187 million for the fourth quarter of 2019. Renewable diesel sales volumes averaged 618 thousand gallons per day in the fourth quarter of 2020, a decrease of 226 thousand gallons per day versus the fourth quarter of 2019 due to the effect of planned maintenance in the fourth quarter of 2020. The renewable diesel segment set a record for annual sales volumes of 787 thousand gallons per day in 2020. As a result of continuous process improvement and optimization, the capacity of the existing St. Charles renewable diesel plant (DGD 1) has increased from 275 million gallons per year to 290 million gallons per year.

Ethanol

The ethanol segment reported $15 million of operating income for the fourth quarter of 2020, compared to $36 million for the fourth quarter of 2019. Fourth quarter 2020 adjusted operating income was $17 million. Ethanol production volumes averaged 4.1 million gallons per day in the fourth quarter of 2020, which was 197 thousand gallons per day lower than the fourth quarter of 2019. The decrease in operating income was attributed primarily to lower margins resulting from higher corn prices and lower ethanol prices.

Corporate and Other

General and administrative expenses were $224 million in the fourth quarter of 2020, compared to $243 million in the fourth quarter of 2019. For 2020, general and administrative expenses of $756 million were $112 million lower than 2019. The effective tax rate for 2020 was 45 percent, which was primarily the result of the carryback of our U.S. federal tax net operating loss to 2015 when the U.S. federal statutory tax rate was 35 percent.

Investing and Financing Activities

Capital investments totaled $622 million in the fourth quarter of 2020, of which $214 million was for sustaining the business, including costs for turnarounds, catalysts and regulatory compliance. Excluding capital investments attributable to our partner’s 50 percent share of DGD and those related to other variable interest entities, capital investments attributable to Valero were $458 million in the fourth quarter of 2020 and $2.0 billion for the full year.

Net cash provided by operating activities in 2020 was $948 million. Included in this amount was a $345 million unfavorable impact from working capital and $338 million associated with our joint venture partner’s share of DGD’s net cash provided by operating activities, excluding changes in DGD’s working capital. Excluding these items, adjusted net cash provided by operating activities was $955 million.

Valero returned $400 million to stockholders through dividends in the fourth quarter of 2020. In 2020, Valero returned $1.8 billion to stockholders, or 184 percent of adjusted net cash provided by operating activities, consisting of $156 million of stock buybacks and $1.6 billion in dividends. The 2020 total payout ratio was higher than our long-term target due to the adverse economic impact of COVID-19.

Valero continues to target a long-term total payout ratio between 40 and 50 percent of adjusted net cash provided by operating activities. Valero defines total payout ratio as the sum of dividends and stock buybacks divided by net cash provided by operating activities adjusted for changes in working capital and DGD’s net cash provided by operating activities, excluding changes in its working capital, attributable to our joint venture partner’s ownership interest in DGD.

Declaration of Regular Cash Dividend

The Board of Directors has declared a regular quarterly common stock dividend of $0.98 per share payable on March 4, 2021 to holders of record at the close of business on February 11, 2021.

Liquidity and Financial Position

Valero ended 2020 with $14.7 billion of total debt and finance lease obligations and $3.3 billion of cash and cash equivalents. The debt to capitalization ratio, net of cash and cash equivalents, was 37 percent as of December 31, 2020.

Strategic Update

In 2020, Valero completed several strategic projects on schedule and under budget and continued to make progress on other projects despite challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic and several hurricanes. The Pasadena terminal project, which was completed in the first quarter, expands the company’s product logistics portfolio, increases biofuel blending capacity and enhances export flexibility. The St. Charles Alkylation unit, which started up in the fourth quarter, is designed to convert low-value feedstocks into a premium alkylate product. The Pembroke Cogen project and the Diamond Pipeline expansion are on track to be completed in the third quarter and fourth quarter of 2021, respectively, and the Port Arthur Coker project is expected to be completed in 2023.

Valero continues to grow its position as the largest renewable fuels producer in North America with plans to quadruple its renewable diesel production by the end of 2023. The DGD plant expansion at St. Charles (DGD 2), which is expected to increase renewable diesel production by 400 million gallons per year, is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2021. Valero and its joint venture partner have also approved a new 470 million gallons per year renewable diesel plant (DGD 3) at Valero’s Port Arthur, Texas refinery. The new plant is expected to commence operations in the second half of 2023, increasing DGD’s total annual production capacity to approximately 1.2 billion gallons of renewable diesel and 50 million gallons of renewable naphtha.

“We expect low-carbon fuel policies to continue to expand globally and drive demand for renewable fuels,” said Gorder, “and to that end, we are applying our liquid fuels expertise to continue to expand our long-term competitive advantage in low-carbon transportation fuels with the expansion of DGD.”

Capital investments attributable to Valero are forecasted at $2.0 billion in 2021, of which approximately 60 percent is for sustaining the business and approximately 40 percent is for growth projects. Almost half of Valero’s 2021 growth capital is allocated to expanding the renewable diesel business.

Conference Call

Valero’s senior management will hold a conference call at 10 a.m. ET today to discuss this earnings release and to provide an update on operations and strategy.

About Valero

Valero Energy Corporation, through its subsidiaries (collectively, “Valero”), is an international manufacturer and marketer of transportation fuels and petrochemical products. Valero is a Fortune 50 company based in San Antonio, Texas, and it operates 15 petroleum refineries with a combined throughput capacity of approximately 3.2 million barrels per day and 13 ethanol plants with a combined production capacity of approximately 1.68 billion gallons per year. The petroleum refineries are located in the United States (U.S.), Canada and the United Kingdom (U.K.), and the ethanol plants are located in the Mid-Continent region of the U.S. Valero is also a joint venture partner in Diamond Green Diesel, which owns and operates a renewable diesel plant in Norco, Louisiana. Diamond Green Diesel is North America’s largest biomass-based diesel plant. Valero sells its products in the wholesale rack or bulk markets in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland and Latin America. Approximately 7,000 outlets carry Valero’s brand names. Please visit www.investorvalero.com for more information.

Valero Contacts

Investors:

Homer Bhullar, Vice President – Investor Relations, 210-345-1982
Eric Herbort, Senior Manager – Investor Relations, 210-345-3331
Gautam Srivastava, Senior Manager – Investor Relations, 210-345-3992

Media:

Lillian Riojas, Executive Director – Media Relations and Communications, 210-345-5002

Click here for full press release


Legal Notice