What PBF Gets With Its Purchase of Louisiana Refinery From Exxon, PdVSA

Photo of Paul Ausick
By Paul Ausick Updated Published
This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.

Oil refinery
Thinkstock
New Jersey-based independent oil refiner PBF Energy Inc. (NYSE: PBF) has agreed to purchase Chalmette Refining LLC from co-owners Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) and Petróleos de Venezuela (PdVSA) for a total of $322 million. The purchase includes logistics assets related to the Chalmette, La., refinery, which has a daily throughput capacity of 189,000 barrels a day.

PBF currently owns three refineries: a Delaware City, Del., 190,000-barrel plant; a 180,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Paulsboro, N.J.; and a 170,000-barrel-a-day refinery in Toledo, Ohio. The acquisition of the Chalmette refinery gives PBF its first location in the Gulf Coast region, which is home to more than a quarter of all U.S. refining capacity. The logistics assets included in the transaction include access to the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP) plus 100% ownership of the MOEM Pipeline and 80% ownership in each of Collins Pipeline and T&M Terminal companies, both located in Collins, Miss.

PBF’s east coast refineries receive their crude supplies by rail from Canada and the U.S. Midwest, or by ship from Europe and Africa. The Toledo refinery is served by pipelines from Canada and the Midwest. The Chalmette refinery will have access to both mid-continent and Canadian oil and crude imported from Mexico and Venezuela. Being able to mix the heavier Latin American crudes with the lighter U.S. and Canadian crudes should offer PBF a better margin on about 25% of its refined products.

ALSO READ: 4 Oil Stocks to Buy Before Rig Count Rebounds

PBF said it did not expect to issue new equity to finance any portion of the transaction. The company did not say exactly how it would finance the purchase, but PBF had about $450 million in cash and receivables worth another $667 million at the end of March. The company’s long-term debt is just $1.26 billion, so a combination of cash and new debt is likely. PBF’s dividend yield is a very handsome 4.6%.

Investors really like the deal, sending PBF shares up about 21% to an intra-day high of $32.00, before settling back down to trade around $31.00, in a 52-week range of $21.02 to $34.62. The consensus price target on the shares is around $33.50.

Photo of Paul Ausick
About the Author Paul Ausick →

Paul Ausick has been writing for a673b.bigscoots-temp.com for more than a decade. He has written extensively on investing in the energy, defense, and technology sectors. In a previous life, he wrote technical documentation and managed a marketing communications group in Silicon Valley.

He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Chicago and now lives in Montana, where he fishes for trout in the summer and stays inside during the winter.

Featured Reads

Our top personal finance-related articles today. Your wallet will thank you later.

Continue Reading

Top Gaining Stocks

CBOE Vol: 1,568,143
PSKY Vol: 12,285,993
STX Vol: 7,378,346
ORCL Vol: 26,317,675
DDOG Vol: 6,247,779

Top Losing Stocks

LKQ
LKQ Vol: 4,367,433
CLX Vol: 13,260,523
SYK Vol: 4,519,455
MHK Vol: 1,859,865
AMGN Vol: 3,818,618