Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Ascends While Market Falls: Some Facts to Note

Marathon Petroleum (MPC) closed at $251.91 in the latest trading session, marking a +1.45% move from the prior day. The stock outpaced the S&P 500's daily loss of 1.67%. At the same time, the Dow lost 1.73%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 2.15%.

The stock of refiner has risen by 23.49% in the past month, leading the Oils-Energy sector's gain of 10.72% and the S&P 500's loss of 6.15%.

The investment community will be closely monitoring the performance of Marathon Petroleum in its forthcoming earnings report. The company is scheduled to release its earnings on May 5, 2026. It is anticipated that the company will report an EPS of $1.85, marking a 870.83% rise compared to the same quarter of the previous year. At the same time, our most recent consensus estimate is projecting a revenue of $28.93 billion, reflecting a 9.16% fall from the equivalent quarter last year.

Looking at the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $17.16 per share and revenue of $121.47 billion. These totals would mark changes of +60.37% and -10.17%, respectively, from last year.

Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Marathon Petroleum. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the business and profitability.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.

The Zacks Rank system, spanning from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), boasts an impressive track record of outperformance, audited externally, with #1 ranked stocks yielding an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 29% higher within the past month. Marathon Petroleum is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Digging into valuation, Marathon Petroleum currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 14.47. This expresses a discount compared to the average Forward P/E of 14.87 of its industry.

It's also important to note that MPC currently trades at a PEG ratio of 0.53. This metric is used similarly to the famous P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also takes into account the stock's expected earnings growth rate. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Oil and Gas - Refining and Marketing industry held an average PEG ratio of 0.62.

The Oil and Gas - Refining and Marketing industry is part of the Oils-Energy sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 91, which puts it in the top 38% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Ensure to harness Zacks.com to stay updated with all these stock-shifting metrics, among others, in the next trading sessions.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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