--- title: "This Energy Stock Has Quietly Soared 130% in a Year" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/289666296.md" description: "Par Pacific (PARR) stock has surged 130% over the past year, driven by improved refining margins, a new renewable fuels plant in Hawaii, and aggressive share buybacks. The company reported its best quarterly earnings in over a year, with net income rising to $54.5 million. Despite high leverage and volatility risks, analysts view the stock positively due to its diversified energy business model and strategic expansion into renewables." datetime: "2026-06-13T12:50:00.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/289666296.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/289666296.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/289666296.md) --- # This Energy Stock Has Quietly Soared 130% in a Year The energy sector is subject to wild and sudden changes. At Par Pacific NYSE: PARR, however, those changes have been coming for a while. The Houston-based energy company has seen its stock jump 130% over the past 12 months, including a 60% rise this year alone. A new Hawaii renewable fuels plant just came online that diversifies its refining, storage, and extraction business. The company’s retail sector taps into consumers. And an aggressive buyback strategy is showing long-term confidence and per-share results. Analysts generally like the stock. New shareholders, though, should take care to understand just what they’d be buying if they decide to invest. ## A Diversified Energy Business Par Pacific is not a single-play company. The company owns refining facilities in Hawaii, Wyoming, Washinton, and Montana, with an output of roughly 220,000 barrels a day. Its energy network includes 13 million barrels of storage, and an assortment of marine, rail, terminal, and pipeline assets. Its 46% stake in Laramie Energy gives it exposure to natural gas production in Western Colorado. Other stakes are in energy production and pipeline companies. On the retail side, Par Pacific operates more than 120 outlets, including the Hele brand in Hawaii and the “nomnom” convenience store chain in the Pacific Northwest. The cumulative impact of these businesses can be a challenge to parse. But recent numbers suggest they are integrating well, as Par Pacific just posted its best quarterly earnings in more than a year. ## First Quarter Marks a Turnaround For the first quarter this year, net income attributable to shareholders came in at $54.5 million, or $1.10 per diluted share. That’s in contrast to a net loss of $30.4 million, or 57 cents per diluted share, in the year-ago period. However, on an adjusted basis, net income attributable to stockholders was $38.5 million, or 78 cents per diluted share, firmly below what analysts expected. Revenue, though, came in above expectations at $1.824 billion, of which nearly 97% came from its refining segment. Operating income swung from a $15.8 million loss to a $65.3 million gain. ## Refining Margins Improve Dramatically Importantly, the gain for the quarter was not primarily the result of the significant recent runup in oil prices. In fact, the quarterly average of oil was $78.38 per barrel during the three months ended March 31, compared with $74.98 per barrel during the same three months in 2025, the company said. Instead, the turnaround came mostly from higher margins in the refining segment, which posted an $81 million increase in operating income. An additional $8.5 million boost was from its equity stake in Laramie Energy. The improvement in refining margins was substantial, as the company said its combined index improved $11.83 per barrel, or 160%, in the first quarter of 2026 compared with a year earlier. For a cyclical business like refining, profit margin per barrel can help smooth out the uncertainty about oil prices, demand, and inflation. ## A Push Into Renewable Fuels Par Pacific is also expanding beyond petroleum. While the company has an operating refinery in Hawaii, it also holds a majority stake in a joint venture there that launched a renewable fuels facility in April. Mistubishi and the Japanese energy giant, ENEOS, are partners in the endeavor. For a mid-sized energy company with a nearly $3 billion market cap, the move is significant as it broadens into a more diversified, energy-transition-aware business model. With one foot in traditional refining and another in the renewable fuels market, the company not only becomes part of a segment that today dominates energy policy discussions, but it could potentially lessen its exposure to the volatility of crude oil prices. ## Managing Debt and Liquidity Another recent move by the company also points to its liquidity management. While liquidity improved slightly during the quarter, Par Pacific also refinanced $500 million in debt, a move that effectively pushes out maturities and gives management additional time to execute its strategy. Overall leverage, though, remains relatively high, increasing to $947.6 million from $802.9 million at year-end. With current assets of $2.15 billion, the company burned $40.7 million in operating cash during the quarter, and derivative losses totaled more than $70 million. Although the losses don't automatically signal trouble, they are reminders that the industry requires active management in a commodity-sensitive operation with real quarter-to-quarter volatility. ## Confidence in the Stock For its part, the company is signaling confidence. During the quarter, the company bought back $28 million of its own stock. Basic weighted-average shares outstanding fell to 48.4 million, down from 53.8 million a year earlier. The company’s board in February authorized an additional repurchase of up to $250 million in stock. Wall Street analysts are sending their approval. Even with a dramatic runup already priced into the stock, 12 analysts following the company are projecting an additional 25% price increase over the next 12 months. With an overall Moderate Buy recommendation, the average 12-month target is $70 per share from the current prices in the high $50s. Nine analysts have a Buy recommendation, while three suggest Hold. ## A Volatile Investment to Manage The potential profits are real, yet investing in energy is not for every investor. There are plenty of companies in the downstream energy sector, such as HF Sinclair NYSE: DINO or CVR Energy NYSE: CVI, though neither company’s shares have performed as well as Par Pacific. Shareholders need to be willing to ride the volatility that comes with owning a mid-cap refiner. Par Pacific’s first-quarter earnings are convincing, the Hawaii renewable fuels facility adds a definite growth angle, and its buyback activity signals confidence. ### Par Pacific Holdings, Inc. (PARR) Price Chart for Saturday, June, 13, 2026 Still, the company carries meaningful leverage, its cash generation can be inconsistent, and the business rises and falls on sometimes unpredictable refining margins. This not a stock to buy and forget. It’s perhaps better placed in a portfolio that’s managed as actively as the company itself. ## Should You Invest $1,000 in Par Pacific Right Now? Before you consider Par Pacific, you'll want to hear this. MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Par Pacific wasn't on the list. While Par Pacific currently has a Moderate Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys. 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