Phillips 66PSXTOP PICKApr 13, 2023Stock price when the opinion was issued
As of Jun 10, 2026. Market Open.
Warren Buffett has been picking away at this. It is very difficult to build a refinery. There is a limited number of competitors, so they are well situated. The drawback is that you are beholden to crack spreads, basically the value of all the different components of a barrel of oil after it has been refined. In the past couple of years, it has been a very, very good business, but it is a cyclical business. The ways the composition of crude oil is coming to refineries is changing. He would prefer going to where the greatest value is, which is going to be the crude producers.
Trading at 5x earnings, 1.7x book and supporting a 40% ROE, we reiterate PSX as a TOP PICK. The company has a bio-diesel fuel plant coming on soon in California, which used to process oil. We like that cash reserves are growing and debt is being retired. Its dividend is backed by a payout ratio under 20% of cash flow. We recommend trailing up the stop (from $87) to $92, looking to achieve $126 -- upside potential of 18%. Yield 3.6%
(Analysts’ price target is $126.00)