Two 59%+ winners, four above 25% in Aug – How this AI model keeps picking winners
Investing.com-- Activist investor Elliott Investment has built up an over $2.5 billion stake in oil refiner Phillips 66 (NYSE:PSX), and is seeking changes to boost the company’s laggard stock price, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
The biggest change sought by Elliott is the divestiture of Phillips 66’s Houston-based midstream business, which is a major revenue driver for the firm, the WSJ report said.
Elliott’s recent stake build in the refiner represents renewed pressure from the activist investor for changes at Phillips 66. Elliott had in 2023 disclosed a $1 billion stake in the refiner, and had in 2024 supported a performance improvement plan to boost shareholder returns.
The WSJ report comes just a week after Phillips 66 clocked much weaker fourth-quarter earnings, as the company grappled with a sharp decline in refining margins.
Increased refining capacity and softer demand in the U.S. and China, the world’s biggest oil consumers, has weighed on Phillips 66 in recent years.
The company had outlined plans to bolster its midstream business, including an agreement to acquire EPIC’s NGL business to boost its footprint in the Permian basin. The move had boosted Phillips 66’s shares, which are trading up 8% so far in 2025.
But the company’s shares slid 14% in 2024, as it grappled with weak demand and sluggish refining margins.