A refinery stocks screener in Excel puts the eight US-listed refiners (VLO, MPC, PSX, DINO, DK, PBF, CVI, PARR) in one table with price, dividend yield, P/E, ROE, operating margin, beta, and a 3:2:1 crack spread sensitivity, so you can compare them as a group during the summer driving season (Memorial Day, May 25, 2026, through Labor Day). The free template in this guide pulls each metric with MarketXLS formulas such as =DividendYield("VLO") and =PERatio("VLO"), and adds a crack spread scenario model and a refiner dividend calendar.
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Refinery Stocks Screener Excel: Summer 2026 At-a-Glance Table
| Ticker | Company | Refining Capacity (mbd) | Region Mix | Dividend Yield | Beta |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VLO | Valero Energy | 3.2 | Gulf Coast, Mid-Con, West | ~2.8% | ~1.32 |
| MPC | Marathon Petroleum | 3.0 | Gulf Coast, Mid-Con, West | ~2.4% | ~1.28 |
| PSX | Phillips 66 | 2.2 | Gulf Coast, Mid-Con, Atlantic | ~3.5% | ~1.18 |
| DINO | HF Sinclair | 0.68 | Mid-Con, Rockies, Southwest | ~4.1% | ~1.42 |
| DK | Delek US Holdings | 0.30 | Gulf Coast, Mid-Con | ~4.5% | ~1.65 |
| PBF | PBF Energy | 1.00 | East/West Coast, Gulf, Mid-Con | ~3.1% | ~1.58 |
| CVI | CVR Energy | 0.21 | Mid-Con | ~8.1% | ~1.48 |
| PARR | Par Pacific | 0.22 | West Coast, Pacific, Rockies | n/a | ~1.55 |
Values approximate as of May 29, 2026 close. The companion MarketXLS template uses live formulas so the same table refreshes whenever you open the workbook.
Why a Refinery Stocks Screener Excel Workbook Matters in Summer 2026
US refiners earn their crude-to-product spread, the difference between what they pay for a barrel of crude and what they fetch for the gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel that come out of it. The benchmark 3:2:1 crack spread (3 barrels of crude in, 2 of gasoline + 1 of distillate out) is the industry shorthand for that economics.
Three things make the post-Memorial Day window worth tracking in a refinery stocks screener:
- Seasonal demand: US gasoline demand typically peaks between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Stockbuilds in spring give way to summer draws.
- Maintenance cycle: Most refiners complete spring turnarounds by late May, so utilization heads higher into June and July.
- Hurricane optionality: Atlantic hurricane season begins June 1. Storms in the Gulf can knock out 10-30% of US refining capacity for short windows, swinging crack spreads sharply.
A spreadsheet that consolidates price, capacity, crack spread sensitivity, dividends, and quality metrics for all eight US-listed refiners lets you reason about the group as a basket, not as eight separate ticker pages.
What the Refinery Stocks Screener Excel Template Includes
The workbook is built around six sheets, each addressing a different question a financial advisor or self-directed investor would ask about the refining group in summer:
Sheet 1 - How To Use
Tutorial sheet that walks you through what's on each tab, where the input cells are (yellow), and which MarketXLS formulas power the live version. This is also where you'll find the MarketXLS website, demo, and pricing links so anyone you share the workbook with can get started.
Sheet 2 - Main Dashboard
The screener itself. Eight refiners, eleven columns: price, market cap, P/E, dividend yield, dividend per share, operating margin, ROE, debt to equity, beta, RSI, YTD return, and a composite score that blends them. Yellow input cells let you change the portfolio size, sector cap, minimum dividend yield filter, and crack spread assumption. The composite score uses a simple equally weighted blend of dividend yield, operating margin, ROE, and earnings yield (1/PE). The RSI column and Score column have conditional color scales so the eye can quickly find overbought (red RSI) and high-scoring (green) names.
Sheet 3 - Crack Spread Analysis
The Crack Spread Analysis sheet shows how much each refiner's EBITDA changes with the crack spread. A scenario table runs each refiner through six crack spread assumptions, from a bearish minus $10/bbl to a boom case of plus $20/bbl over your base. The model uses throughput in thousand barrels per day, multiplies by 365, and applies a 55% capture rate to estimate incremental EBITDA in millions. You can adjust the base crack, Brent crude, and gasoline price inputs and watch the entire matrix recompute. This tab shows which refiners are most levered to a given crack spread.
Sheet 4 - Strategy Sheet
Eight refiner-specific educational options frameworks: covered calls on VLO, cash-secured puts on MPC, bull put spreads on PSX, a LEAPS call on DK as a recovery thesis, an iron condor on PBF as a range thesis, and so on. Each row spells out the structure, strike convention, expiry window, premium goal, breakeven, and risk profile. The sheet is labeled clearly as educational, not advice, and not a recommendation to trade any specific structure.
Sheet 5 - Portfolio Allocation
Position sizing math. Enter your portfolio size, your maximum sector cap, and your per-name cap, and the sheet allocates weight by composite score, returns dollar allocations, share counts (rounded), annual dividend dollars, and yield on cost. Below the sizing table sits a refiner dividend calendar with the next ex-dividend date, pay date, and yield for each name. Educational, not a model portfolio.
Sheet 6 - Refiner Comparison
A side-by-side comparison matrix of capacity, regional mix, market cap, revenue, EBITDA, P/E, P/B, P/S, and beta. Below the matrix is a 30-day price correlation table that shows how tightly the refiners track each other. Spoiler: very tightly, which is the point. A "refiner basket" is one factor exposure, not eight.
Refinery Stocks Screener Excel: The Real MarketXLS Formulas Powering It
These are the verified MarketXLS formulas the template version of the workbook uses. Every cell that holds a metric is one of these, populated by the ticker text in column A. All of these have been verified via the MarketXLS Function Documentation reference. If you build your own version from scratch, copy the syntax exactly:
=QM_Last("VLO") -> Price for Valero Energy (real-time on Advanced/Business, 15-min delayed on Standard)
=MarketCapitalization("VLO") -> Market capitalization in dollars
=PERatio("VLO") -> Trailing P/E ratio
=DividendYield("VLO") -> Annual dividend yield in percent
=DividendPerShare("VLO") -> Annual dividend in dollars per share
=Revenue("VLO") -> Trailing twelve month revenue
=EBITDA("VLO") -> Trailing twelve month EBITDA
=OperatingMargin("VLO") -> Operating margin in percent
=ReturnOnEquity("VLO") -> Return on equity in percent
=TotalDebtToEquity("VLO") -> Total debt to equity ratio
=Beta("VLO") -> Five year beta vs market
=RSI("VLO") -> Relative Strength Index
=FiftyTwoWeekHigh("VLO") -> Fifty two week high price
=FiftyTwoWeekLow("VLO") -> Fifty two week low price
=SimpleMovingAverage("VLO",50) -> Fifty day simple moving average
=SimpleMovingAverage("VLO",200) -> Two hundred day simple moving average
=ChangePercentYTD("VLO") -> Year to date percent change
=EX_DIVIDENDDATE("VLO") -> Next ex dividend date
=DividendPayDate("VLO") -> Dividend pay date
=Sector("VLO") -> Sector classification
=Industry("VLO") -> Industry classification
Formula documentation: QM_Last, MarketCapitalization, PERatio, DividendYield, DividendPerShare, Revenue, EBITDA, OperatingMargin, ReturnOnEquity, TotalDebtToEquity, Beta, RSI, FiftyTwoWeekHigh, FiftyTwoWeekLow, SimpleMovingAverage, ChangePercentYTD, EX_DIVIDENDDATE, DividendPayDate, Sector, Industry
Swap "VLO" for any other refiner ticker (MPC, PSX, DINO, DK, PBF, CVI, PARR) to populate that row. The same formula structure works for any US-listed equity, so you can extend the screener to non-US refiners or to integrated majors with refining segments if you want a broader view.
The 3:2:1 Crack Spread Explained (and Why It Drives Refiner Stocks)
The 3:2:1 crack spread is a widely quoted refining margin proxy. The math:
Crack Spread = (2 x Gasoline Price + 1 x Distillate Price) - 3 x Crude Oil Price
All prices need to be expressed in dollars per barrel (gasoline is usually quoted in dollars per gallon, so multiply by 42). The "3:2:1" name comes from the ratio: 3 barrels of crude oil in, 2 barrels of gasoline plus 1 barrel of distillate out, which mirrors the actual product slate of a typical US refinery (~50% gasoline, ~25% distillate, ~25% other products like jet fuel, residual fuel, and chemical feedstocks).
Why it matters for stocks:
- Higher crack spread = higher refiner EBITDA. When crack spreads run $30/bbl, refiners print cash. When they sit at $12/bbl, even the most efficient refiners struggle to cover SG&A and capex.
- Capture rate matters. Not every dollar of crack spread flows to the refiner. RIN compliance costs, hedging programs, regional benchmark differentials, and product mix all eat into capture. A reasonable rule of thumb is 50-60% capture for the simpler refiners and a bit higher for the most complex Gulf Coast plants.
- Throughput is the multiplier. A $5/bbl swing in crack spread is worth more to a refiner running 3 million barrels per day (VLO, MPC) than to one running 0.2 million (CVI, PARR).
The Crack Spread Analysis sheet in the template runs this math for all eight refiners across six crack scenarios. You change the input, the matrix updates, and you can see at a glance which refiner is most levered to a given crack regime.
Refinery Stocks Screener Excel: Reading the Group Right Now
A few observations about where the refining group sits as the Memorial Day weekend transitions into June 2026, useful as context, not as predictions:
Valero (VLO) is the largest independent refiner by capacity in this group. Yield around 2.8%, P/E in the high single digits, ROE above 20%, debt to equity below 0.5 as of late May 2026.
Marathon Petroleum (MPC) sits close to VLO on capacity and offers a slightly lower yield with a higher ROE and a more aggressive buyback history. Beta and YTD returns track VLO closely.
Phillips 66 (PSX) runs a smaller refining footprint but pairs it with a large midstream and chemicals business. Yield closer to 3.5%, lower beta than VLO/MPC, and a sum-of-the-parts story that occasionally attracts activist attention.
HF Sinclair (DINO) is the mid-cap independent. Higher yield (~4%), mid-continent focus, and a history of occasional special dividends. Higher beta than the majors.
Delek (DK) and PBF Energy (PBF) are the smaller independents that swing harder on crack spreads. Beta above 1.5, smaller market caps, and a quality profile that lags the majors. These names benefit disproportionately when crack spreads spike but underperform when spreads compress.
CVR Energy (CVI) carries the highest reported dividend yield in the group (~8% as of late May). That's eye-catching, but yield that high is usually a market signal that distributions may not be sustained at current levels. The Portfolio Allocation sheet has a notes column where you can flag yield trap risk before sizing into the name.
Par Pacific (PARR) is the smallest US-listed refiner with a Pacific and Rockies footprint. Doesn't pay a regular dividend currently. Best treated as an idiosyncratic small cap, not a yield play.
None of the above is a buy or sell recommendation. It's the kind of contextual read a financial advisor walks a client through before deciding whether and how to allocate to the group at all.
Hurricane Season and the Refiner Calendar
Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30 each year, and roughly 45% of US refining capacity sits along the Gulf Coast. A named storm tracking into the western Gulf can take 1-3 million barrels per day of capacity offline for days or weeks. Historically, that has been bullish for refining margins on the unaffected coasts (West, East) and a wildcard for Gulf-heavy operators who can either suffer outages or capture the price spike on the running barrels.
You can use the Refiner Comparison sheet to see at a glance which refiners have the highest Gulf Coast exposure (VLO, MPC, PSX, PBF) vs. those with more Mid-Con or West Coast tilt (DINO, CVI, PARR). It's not a forecast tool, just a way to see where the storm path risk and reward are concentrated.
Refinery Stocks Screener Excel: Putting It All Together
Working through the template in order is the simplest way to use it. Open it, go to the Main Dashboard, set your portfolio size and the crack spread assumption you want to test, scan the composite score column to see which refiners score highest on the blend of yield, margin, and ROE you've weighted. Move to the Crack Spread Analysis tab to test how sensitive each name is to your assumed crack spread.
Then flip to the Strategy Sheet to see one educational structure idea per refiner (income overlay, defined risk credit spread, recovery LEAPS, range trade, and so on). The Portfolio Allocation tab will then translate your scoring into dollar allocations and share counts at your chosen position sizing rules. End on the Refiner Comparison sheet to remind yourself how correlated the group is and where regional mix concentrates risk.
The whole exercise should take 15-20 minutes once you have the workbook open and MarketXLS connected. The point is not to mechanically follow the composite score. The point is to make the comparison fast enough that you can iterate on assumptions and ask better questions.
Download the Refinery Stocks Screener Excel Templates
Both versions of the workbook are available for download:
Download the templates:
- - Pre-filled with values as of May 29, 2026 close. Use this to explore the design even without MarketXLS installed.
- - Every metric is a live formula. Open in Excel with MarketXLS installed and the entire workbook refreshes with current market data.
Both files include all six sheets, full MarketXLS branding, and a "MarketXLS Functions Used" reference box on each sheet so you know which formulas to copy if you build your own variants.
Related MarketXLS Resources
If you want to go deeper on any of the building blocks behind this screener:
- MarketXLS for Excel financial modeling - the platform behind every live formula
- Book a MarketXLS demo - 1:1 walkthrough with an analyst
- Stock screener in Excel - generic screener design patterns you can layer onto any sector
- Dividend safety screener - useful for triaging CVI's high yield versus more conservative payers in the group
- Sector valuation dashboard - how the energy sector sits versus the broader market
- Hurricane season insurance stocks tracker - the other side of the summer storm trade
Frequently Asked Questions: Refinery Stocks Screener Excel
What should a refinery stocks screener for Excel include?
A refinery stocks screener for Excel should compare the US-listed refiners (VLO, MPC, PSX, DINO, DK, PBF, CVI, PARR) on price, dividend yield, P/E, ROE, operating margin, beta, and crack spread sensitivity in one place. The MarketXLS template in this post does that with formulas that refresh, so you don't have to re-key values.
Which refiners benefit most from rising crack spreads?
In rough terms, the smaller independent refiners (DK, PBF, CVI) move more on a percentage basis when crack spreads rise because they have a smaller earnings base. The majors (VLO, MPC, PSX) move more on an absolute dollar basis because their throughput is much larger. The Crack Spread Analysis sheet in the template shows this dynamic across six scenarios.
How does the 3:2:1 crack spread work in practice?
The 3:2:1 crack spread is a simplified refining margin proxy: take 3 barrels of crude in, 2 barrels of gasoline plus 1 barrel of distillate out, and the spread is the dollar difference per barrel. Real refiner economics are more complex (RIN costs, hedging, complexity index, capture rate), but the 3:2:1 is the industry shorthand and tracks reported earnings reasonably well over multi-quarter periods.
What does the summer driving season mean for refiner stocks?
The US summer driving season runs from Memorial Day weekend (late May) through Labor Day (early September). Gasoline demand typically peaks in July, refinery utilization runs high, and gasoline inventories draw. Historically, the seasonal pattern has supported refiner margins in early summer and faded into the fall maintenance cycle. Individual years vary widely with hurricanes, macro demand, and inventory levels.
Are refinery stocks correlated with each other?
Yes, very. The correlation table in the template shows pairwise 30-day correlations of 0.7 to 0.9 across most refiner pairs. The group shares the same inputs (crude prices), the same outputs (gasoline, distillate, jet fuel), and the same macro drivers (driving season, hurricanes, regulatory shifts). High correlation means the group offers limited diversification benefit on its own and is best held alongside non-energy exposure.
Can I add international refiners to this Excel screener?
Yes. Any ticker that MarketXLS supports works in the same formulas. To add international refiners, replace the US ticker in the input column with the appropriate exchange-suffixed symbol. The composite score, crack spread sensitivity, and dividend calendar all extend without code changes.
The Bottom Line
A refinery screener in Excel is useful because the refining group moves as a basket but differs in capacity, regional mix, balance sheet quality, and dividend profile, and a side-by-side view shows those differences. The template in this post gives you that view for the summer 2026 driving season, with crack spread sensitivity, a dividend calendar, and MarketXLS formulas that refresh the numbers. Use it to compare refiners faster, not to mechanically follow a composite score.
For more Excel-native financial modeling tools, head to marketxls.com and explore the full library of templates, screeners, and live formulas. If you want a 1:1 walkthrough of how MarketXLS connects to your existing portfolio workflow, book a demo.
This post is educational content. It is not investment advice. Refiner stocks carry commodity, operational, regulatory, and macro risks. Always do your own due diligence and consult a licensed financial professional before making investment decisions.
