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PSXPhillips 66Hold6.5·$271.94
PSX · Why this verdict

Why Phillips 66 (PSX) is rated HOLD

Updated

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results. How we score · Editorial policy

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Methodology · Editorial policy & full disclaimer

VerdictHOLD
Overall score6.5/10
ConfidenceHIGH
MacroRISK_OFF

Thesis pillars

Phillips 66 has beaten EPS estimates in all 4 recent quarters, including $9.41 versus $7.50 expected in August 2026.

↓Deteriorating
Catalyst breakdown
Expectation
EPS keeps meeting or beating estimates in the October 28, 2026 report and later quarters.

CounterRefining earnings swing widely with margins (a -$0.39 estimate in April 2026 versus $9.41 in August), and past misses of -25.6% and -15.7% show beats are not guaranteed.

The stock trades at a forward P/E of 9.3x with a PEG of 0.82, rated attractively valued.

↑Improving
Valuation breakdown
Expectation
Earnings hold up so forward P/E stays below roughly 11x over the next 12 months.

CounterValue rank against peers is weak at about 2.7/10, so refiners generally trade at similar low multiples and Phillips 66 is not unusually cheap.

The $283.18 price is 9.2% above the $257.16 analyst target, leaving reward-to-risk of -0.75 against 12.2% downside to the stop.

↑Improving
Upside pct
Expectation
Analyst targets are raised above $300 as earnings keep beating estimates.

CounterWith the target exceeded and earnings in 4 days, a reversion to the target would mean a decline of roughly 9%.

Business quality is below average at 4.7/10, with free cash flow at only 64% of net income although the Piotroski F-Score is 7/9.

↑Improving
Quality breakdown
Expectation
Free cash flow conversion improves above 80% of net income and quality moves above 5.

CounterThin operating and net margins leave little cushion if refining spreads compress.

Momentum is weak at 3.9/10 with falling on-balance volume, and insiders sold $27.0M over 90 days across 11 sales with no buys.

↑Improving
Momentum breakdown
Expectation
Volume turns to accumulation and insider selling slows over the coming quarters.

CounterThe selling is small at 0.024% of market cap, but the falling volume suggests distribution while the price sits above its 200-day average.

Per-dimension breakdown

Value

7.7/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
P/E9.2
P/S9.9
EV/EBITDA7.1
Fwd P/E9.5
PEG7.6
Analyst target4.0
  • ▸Forward P/E: 8.8x
  • ▸PEG: 0.90
  • ▸Attractively valued

Quality

5.7/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
ROE10.0
ROA7.1
Gross margin0.0
Op margin5.3
Net margin3.7
Current ratio5.0
FCF quality5.7
Moat6.8
Piotroski F7.8
  • ▸Excellent ROE: 40%
  • ▸Earnings quality warning: 76% FCF/NI
  • ▸Strong Piotroski F-Score: 7/9

Growth

10.0/10data confidence 33%
ComponentSub-score
Rev growth10.0
  • ▸Strong growth: 46% YoY

Momentum

3.9/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
RSI8.2
MACD0.0
OBV1.0
MA position6.0
Volume4.1
  • ▸Uptrend pullback (RSI 33) - buy opportunity
  • ▸Volume distribution (falling OBV)
  • ▸Above 200-day MA

Sentiment

5.9/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
LLM sentiment3.8
Analyst rating7.5
Price target6.1

Insider

4.0/10data confidence 75%
ComponentSub-score
materiality4.5
insider conviction2.0
holder change5.5
  • ▸Modest insider selling — $26,982,715 (0.025% of mkt cap)

Peer rank

5.3/10data confidence 80%
ComponentSub-score
value rank4.4
quality rank5.8
growth rank4.0

Technical

8.3/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
bollinger8.2
support resistance8.5
52w position8.2

Risk (lower is worse)

6.5/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
short interest9.0
days to cover8.6
volatility3.1
put call7.6
implied vol3.8
max pain risk3.0
beta9.0
debt equity7.9
  • ▸Above max pain $195

Catalyst

7.3/10data confidence 100%
ComponentSub-score
erm5.0
earnings history10.0
earnings timing5.0
surprise avg10.0
dividend safety6.8
news activity7.0
  • ▸Perfect beat streak: 4Q

How the verdict was assembled

Engine trigger

Maintain position. Not compelling to add more.

Engine technical detail
verdict_path: L4:PATH_F_HOLD
Passed (6)
  • INSIDER:OK
  • 8K:CLEAN
  • NEWS_EVENTS:NONE_RECENT
  • EARNINGS_PROXIMITY:92d clear
  • SEMI_CYCLE_PEAK:CLEAR
  • MATERIALS_CYCLE_PEAK:CLEAR
Failed (2)
  • MOMENTUM:3.9<4.5
  • ASYMMETRY:-0.4=NEGATIVE
Warning (0)

none

Reward-to-Risk
-0.44
Upside
-3.3%
Downside
7.6%
Sizing output
AVOID

Setup— — No clear chart pattern; technical signals are mixed

EdgeNo clear edge — No clear edge identified

SuitabilityModerate — Balanced profile

Investment implication

None of the engine's positive-conviction paths (C-quality, D-momentum) triggered — the F-path HOLD reflects balanced signals. Strongest-cleared gate: INSIDER:OK. Top dim: Growth at 10.0; weakest: Momentum at 3.9. No conviction either direction.

The strongest dimensions are Growth at 10.0, Technical at 8.3, and Value at 7.7; the weakest are Momentum at 3.9, Insider at 4.0, and Peer rank at 5.3. The V9 engine flagged 2 failed gates, producing an asymmetric reward-to-risk of -0.44 and an engine sizing output of AVOID.

What would invalidate the thesis

Falsifying conditions — when triggered, the corresponding pillar's thesis is invalidated.

  • P1Perfect Earnings Beat Streak

    Trip ifEPS surprise stays below 0% for 2 consecutive quarters.

  • P2Attractive Valuation Multiples

    Trip ifForward P/E rises above 13x from the current 9.3x.

  • P3Price Above Analyst Target

    Trip ifPrice falls below the $265.46 stop level while the analyst target stays below $265.

  • P4Below Average Quality Cash Conversion

    Trip ifFree cash flow to net income ratio falls below 45%.

  • P5Weak Momentum And Insider Selling

    Trip ifInsider selling exceeds $60M over 90 days with 0 insider buys.

Engine reasoning is mechanically derived from pipeline gate outputs. See decision view.

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