FTO: Forces Aligning for Frontier

After peaking above $49 per share last year, refiner Frontier Oil (FTO) sunk to intraday lows in the $20’s last month before starting a rally on the news of Valero’s (VLO) positive outlook on the latest conference call. My biggest surprise, looking over the data for Frontier and the industry, is why it hasn’t rallied even more.

First of all, Valero indicated that “Current industry conditions are setting the stage for rebounding gasoline margins.” If true, that would be equally positive for Frontier and others. Not that I don’t believe Valero, but I thought a check of the PPI industry statistics could provide an unbiased second opinion.