Valero Energy and Western Refining Thriving in 2012 as U.S. Refiners Profits Reach Highest Levels Since 2007

The Paragon Report Provides Stock Research on Valero Energy and Western Refining

NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwire) -- 08/15/12 -- U.S. refining companies have soared in 2012 as new crude production from Texas and the Midwest has seen profits reach their highest levels since 2007. According to data collected from Bloomberg, the difference between the cost of crude and the price companies could sell fuel in the April-June quarter was the largest margin for a second quarter at $29.05 a barrel. The Paragon Report examines investing opportunities in the Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing Industry and provides equity research on Valero Energy Corp. (NYSE: VLO) and Western Refining, Inc. (NYSE: WNR).


Access to the full company reports can be found at:

www.ParagonReport.com/VLO

www.ParagonReport.com/WNR


U.S. refiners have outperformed all other energy sectors in the S&P 500 Index with an average gain of 42 percent. In comparison the S&P 500 Integrated Oil & Gas Index has gained just 2.85 percent year-to-date. The industry's resurgence has even attracted famed investors Warren Buffett and Carl Icahn.

"The prospects for U.S. refiners have turned around dramatically," said John Auers, senior vice president of Turner Mason & Co., a petroleum and refinery consulting company. "Cheap crude has given an advantage to the U.S. refining system, already the most advanced, most complex and most efficient in the world."

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Valero Energy Corporation is an international manufacturer and marketer of transportation fuels, other petrochemical products and power. Its assets include 14 petroleum refineries with a combined throughput capacity of approximately 2.6 million barrels per day. Shares of Valero are up 35 percent for the year.

Western Refining owns and operates two refineries with a total crude oil throughput capacity of approximately 151,000 barrels per day (bpd) producing primarily high-value light products such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. Shares of the company have soared over 95 percent year-to-date.

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