Valero Energy Corporation vs YieldMax Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs — how do they compare? Valero Energy Corporation trades at $391.21 (market cap $110.23B), while YieldMax Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs trades at $7.68. The key difference: Valero Energy Corporation pays a 1.25% dividend while YieldMax Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs pays none, and Valero Energy Corporation is trading nearer its 52-week high, YieldMax Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs nearer its low. Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| VLO | YMAX | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $110.23B | — |
Sector | Energy | Income / Options Overlay |
52-Week High | $388.95 | $13.14 |
52-Week Low | $156.39 | $7.27 |
Enterprise Value | $113.71B | — |
Dividend Yield | 1.25% | — |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Valero Energy (VLO) trades at $382.85, up 3.27% today, reflecting strong momentum amid favorable refining conditions. The stock exhibits a bullish technical trend, with recent earnings beats and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) as of September 9, 2026. Fundamentals show robust profitability with a 29.31% ROE, though revenue has declined from $176.4B in 2022 to $122.7B in 2025. Analyst consensus is bullish with a $345.55 price target, and the company maintains a solid balance sheet with $4.66B in cash.
VLO's outlook is supported by tight fuel supplies and healthy demand, with projected 2026 net income of $7.2B. Key risks include volatile energy prices and potential regulatory pressures. The stock offers growth potential but faces headwinds from revenue declines and geopolitical factors affecting the energy sector.
YMAX trades at $7.70 with a slight 0.13% daily gain, showing modest positive momentum. The technical outlook is bullish with moving averages supporting upward movement, though oscillators remain neutral. Recent news highlights the fund's weekly dividend distributions but also raises concerns about NAV erosion and sustainability of the high-yield strategy. The fund's structure as a fund-of-funds adds layers of costs that impact overall returns.
YMAX faces significant challenges with declining share price despite high distributions, suggesting the current yield may be unsustainable. The fund's principal erosion and structural cost issues present substantial risks for income-focused investors. While technical indicators show short-term bullish signals, fundamental concerns about the distribution policy and NAV performance warrant cautious consideration for long-term investment viability.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Valero Energy is one of the largest independent refiners in the United States. It operates 14 refineries with a total throughput capacity of 3.2 million barrels a day in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Valero also owns 14 ethanol plants with capacity of 1.7 billion gallons of ethanol a year and holds a 50% stake in Diamond Green Diesel, which has capacity to produce 700 million gallons per year of renewable diesel.
Read more on VLO →YMAX is an actively managed 'fund of funds' that provides equal-weighted exposure to the full suite of YieldMax option income ETFs. It is designed to generate high current income by aggregating the premiums from various single-stock and thematic covered call strategies, offering a diversified approach to high-yield option investing.
Read more on YMAX →