VLO vs CNQ vs PBF Stock Comparison

Valero Energy, Canadian Natural Resources and PBF Energy Prices as of Oct 23, 2026 Peers: Industry group
VLO Valero Energy Corp/Tx
$419.16 +11.5% 1M +142.1% 1Y
Market cap
$125.25B
P/E
17.4x
Revenue (TTM)
$139.40B
Div. yield
0.01%
Oil Refining Energy
5 wins
CNQ CANADIAN NATURAL RESOURCES Ltd
$55.07 +15.6% 1M +76.3% 1Y
Market cap
$115.21B
P/E
14.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$33.47B
Div. yield
-0.03%
Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Energy
3 wins
PBF PBF Energy Inc.
$76.18 +8.1% 1M +123.4% 1Y
Market cap
$9.53B
P/E
7.0x
Revenue (TTM)
$34.37B
Div. yield
0.01%
Oil Refining Energy
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Valero Energy leads on 5 of the 12 questions below (Valero Energy 5, PBF Energy 4, Canadian Natural Resources 3). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionVLOCNQPBFLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $125.25B $115.21B $9.53B VLO
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 17.4x 14.3x 7.0x PBF
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 8.4x 11.6x 3.4x PBF
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +12.6% +6.7% +13.5% PBF
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 5.2% 24.0% 3.9% CNQ
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 19.8% — 17.9% VLO
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.3x 0.3x 0.3x VLO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% -0.03% 0.01% PBF
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +142.1% +76.3% +123.4% VLO
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +39.0%/yr +21.4%/yr +37.5%/yr VLO
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 37.6% 30.9% 65.0% CNQ
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 62/100 76/100 58/100 CNQ

Percentile Scorecard

VLOCNQPBF

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisVLOCNQPBF
Valuation 18 #19 of 23 77 #24 of 99 86 #4 of 23
Growth 67 #7 of 19 81 #19 of 97 33 #13 of 19
Profitability 78 #5 of 19 84 #16 of 96 39 #12 of 19
Financial Health 88 #4 of 25 94 #7 of 102 58 #11 of 25
Shareholder Returns 59 #8 of 18 44 #43 of 76 71 #6 of 18
Overall 62 76 58
  • VLO ranked among 25 companies in Refining and Marketing
  • CNQ ranked among 103 companies in Oil and Gas Upstream
  • PBF ranked among 25 companies in Refining and Marketing

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodVLOCNQPBFSPY
1 month +11.5%+15.6%+8.1% -1.0%
3 months +38.6%+18.6%+23.6% +2.9%
6 months +77.7%+24.5%+87.0% +6.4%
Year to date +157.5%+62.7%+180.9% +11.4%
1 year +142.1%+76.3%+123.4% +13.1%
3 years +225.4%+73.0%+62.0% +79.4%
3 years, per year +48.2%+20.1%+17.5% +21.5%
5 years +417.5%+163.1%+390.5% +67.7%
5 years, per year +39.0%+21.4%+37.5% +10.9%
10 years +651.7%+239.3%+259.7% +255.2%
10 years, per year +22.4%+13.0%+13.7% +13.5%

Risk

MeasureVLOCNQPBFSPY
Volatility, 1Y 37.6%30.9%65.0% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 34.4%32.6%63.9% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.37-0.49-0.67 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 3.782.471.90 1.03
Max drawdown, 5Y -42.9%-38.9%-76.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -8.8%0.0%-16.5% -2.5%
52-week high $459.67$55.07$91.18 $779.14
52-week low $161.94$30.59$26.02 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleVLOCNQPBF
P/E now vs peer median 17.1xmedian 10.4x 14.3xmedian 13.1x 6.7xmedian 10.4x
P/S now vs peer median 0.9xmedian 0.3x 3.4xmedian 2.0x 0.3xmedian 0.3x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 9.4xmedian 7.1x 3.9xmedian 5.7x 3.8xmedian 7.1x
P/FCF now vs peer median 12.0xmedian 9.4x 6.1xmedian 11.1x 13.6xmedian 9.4x
P/B now vs peer median 4.3xmedian 1.9x —median 1.5x 1.4xmedian 1.9x
PEG now vs peer median -2.42median 0.30 0.27median 2.24 -0.30median 0.30

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsVLOCNQPBF
Revenue $139.40B $33.47B $34.37B
Gross profit $11.20B $26.58B $1.33B
Operating income $10.01B $24.77B $1.99B
Net income $7.62B $8.48B $1.37B
Free cash flow $10.08B $18.68B $670.60M
EPS (diluted) $24.53 $3.83 $11.18
Cash & equivalents $7.87B $1.84B $894.10M
Total debt $44.07B $49.14B $1.75B
Shares (diluted) 294.00M 2.10B 121.07M
Enterprise value $102.19B $112.22B $7.08B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricVLOCNQPBF
P/E 17.1x 14.3x 6.7x
P/FCF 12.0x 6.1x 13.6x
P/Operating cash flow 11.1x 8.9x 5.5x
P/S 0.9x 3.4x 0.3x
P/B 4.3x – 1.4x
P/Tangible book 4.3x – 1.4x
EV/EBITDA 9.4x 3.9x 3.8x
EV/EBIT 12.4x 5.0x 5.0x
EV/Revenue 0.9x 3.7x 0.3x
EV/FCF 12.3x 6.7x 14.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 11.4x 9.7x 6.0x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -2.42 0.27 -0.30

Growth

14 metrics
MetricVLOCNQPBF
Revenue growth (1Y) 12.6% 6.7% 13.5%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -3.9% -2.3% -6.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 256.7% 5.0% 224.0%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) -11.2% -3.2% -28.4%
Operating income growth (1Y) 951.6% -26.5% 260.4%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) -12.4% -15.2% -22.6%
Net income growth (1Y) 838.9% 42.1% 237.6%
Net income CAGR (3Y) -12.6% 14.2% -24.4%
EPS growth (1Y) 901.8% 408,311% 230.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -7.1% 53.8% -22.2%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 156.5% 30.3% 290.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 0.3% 5.4% -18.0%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 222.7% 33.0% 148.3%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 2.4% 13.6% -31.6%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricVLOCNQPBF
Gross margin 8.0% 79.4% 3.9%
EBITDA margin 9.5% 94.6% 7.7%
Operating margin 7.2% 74.0% 5.8%
Pretax margin 7.1% 32.2% 5.3%
Net margin 5.2% 24.0% 3.9%
FCF margin 7.2% 55.8% 2.0%
Operating cash flow margin 7.8% 38.5% 4.8%
Return on equity 27.6% – 22.4%
Return on assets 12.0% – 9.3%
Return on invested capital 19.8% – 17.9%
Return on capital employed 22.4% – 19.2%
Asset turnover 2.2x – 2.3x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.4x 1.5x 1.2x
Stock comp / revenue – 1.3% 0.1%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricVLOCNQPBF
Debt / assets 17.6% – 11.9%
Debt / equity 0.4x – 0.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.3x 0.3x 0.3x
Debt / FCF 1.1x 0.6x 2.6x
Liabilities / assets 56.3% – 55.5%
Equity / assets 43.7% – 44.5%
Interest coverage 17.8x 38.3x 11.3x
Current ratio 1.6x – 1.3x
Quick ratio 1.2x – 0.2x
Cash ratio 0.4x – 0.2x
Altman Z-score 6.01 – 3.96

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricVLOCNQPBF
Dividend yield 1.1% 5.6% 1.5%
Net buyback yield 4.0% -0.3% –
Shareholder yield 5.1% 5.4% 1.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) 18.5% 42.5% 9.3%
Payout ratio (FCF) 14.0% 19.3% 18.9%
Dividend growth (1Y) 1.3% -8.3% 3.3%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) -2.2% -111.0% 18.8%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusVLOCNQPBF
Forward P/E 8.4xFY2026 11.6xFY2026 3.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $49.71FY2026 $4.76FY2026 $22.71FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +368.5%FY2026 +83.8%FY2026 –
EPS growth, the year after -10.4% -17.4% -10.1%
Revenue, next fiscal year $172.89BFY2026 $37.80BFY2026 $38.59BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +40.9%FY2026 +33.7%FY2026 +31.6%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -21.1% -6.6% -7.0%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersVLOCNQPBF
Held by institutions 83.6% 71.6% 88.3%
Institutions holding 1,967 745 433
Change in shares held, QoQ -1.5% -5.0% +6.6%
Institutions buying 950 386 259
Institutions selling 709 242 122
Buyers to sellers 1.34 1.60 2.12

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

VLOCNQPBF
VLO 1.00 0.45 0.79
CNQ 0.45 1.00 0.43
PBF 0.79 0.43 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, VLO, CNQ and PBF?

Valero Energy (VLO) is the largest by market capitalisation: Valero Energy (VLO) $125.25B, Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) $115.21B, PBF Energy (PBF) $9.53B.

Which stock is cheaper, VLO, CNQ and PBF?

PBF Energy (PBF) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Valero Energy (VLO) 17.4x, Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) 14.3x, PBF Energy (PBF) 7.0x). On next year's consensus earnings, PBF Energy (PBF) is cheapest (Valero Energy (VLO) 8.4x, Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) 11.6x, PBF Energy (PBF) 3.4x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

PBF Energy (PBF) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Valero Energy (VLO) +12.6%, Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) +6.7%, PBF Energy (PBF) +13.5%.

Which company is more profitable?

Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) has the highest net margin (Valero Energy (VLO) 5.2%, Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) 24.0%, PBF Energy (PBF) 3.9%). On return on invested capital, Valero Energy (VLO) leads (Valero Energy (VLO) 19.8%, PBF Energy (PBF) 17.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Valero Energy (VLO) returned the most: Valero Energy (VLO) +142.1%, Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) +76.3%, PBF Energy (PBF) +123.4%. Over five years, Valero Energy (VLO) compounded fastest (Valero Energy (VLO) +39.0%/yr, Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) +21.4%/yr, PBF Energy (PBF) +37.5%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

PBF Energy (PBF) has the highest dividend yield: Valero Energy (VLO) 0.01%, Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) -0.03%, PBF Energy (PBF) 0.01%. Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) has been the steadiest (Valero Energy (VLO) 37.6%, Canadian Natural Resources (CNQ) 30.9%, PBF Energy (PBF) 65.0%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, VLO, CNQ and PBF?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Valero Energy (VLO) leads on 5. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.