Valero Energy (NYSE: VLO) shares are trading higher along with most other refiners, as crude oil futures have dropped off from last week's record highs, which could start to help out refiner's margins. Also moving VLO is news that a large California refinery is coming back on line with no significant loss of production after a power outage yesterday morning. If you think that the stock won't fall by too much in the coming months, then now could be a good time to look at a bullish hedged trade on VLO.After hitting a one-year high of $78.68 in July, the stock hit a one-year low of $44.55 last week. VLO opened this morning at $45.06. So far today the stock has hit a low of $45.01 and a high of $46.93. As of 12:45, VLO is trading at $46.86, up $2.30 (5.2%). The chart for VLO looks neutral and improving, while S&P gives the stock its highest 5 STARS (out of 5) strong buy rating.
For a bullish hedged play on this stock, I would consider a June bull-put credit spread below the $40 range. A bull-put credit spread is an options position that combines the purchase and sale of put options to hedge risk in case the stock doesn't do what you think but still leverage nice returns. For this particular trade, we will make an 8.7% return in just six weeks as long as VLO is above $40 at June expiration. Valero would have to fall by more than 14% before we would start to lose money.
VLO hasn't been below $40 at all in the past year and has shown support around $45 recently. This trade could be risky if the price of gasoline falls off if demand starts to lower, but even though there is a slowdown in the US, other global economies are still clamoring for energy, which could keep prices high.
Brent Archer is an options analyst and writer at Investors Observer. At publication time, Brent neither owns nor controls positions in VLO.
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