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Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Gains But Lags Market: What You Should Know

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Marathon Petroleum (MPC - Free Report) closed at $116.50 in the latest trading session, marking a +0.64% move from the prior day. This change lagged the S&P 500's 0.7% gain on the day. At the same time, the Dow added 0.56%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq gained 7.5%.

Coming into today, shares of the refiner had gained 4.09% in the past month. In that same time, the Oils-Energy sector gained 3.67%, while the S&P 500 lost 0.94%.

Marathon Petroleum will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release, which is expected to be January 31, 2023. In that report, analysts expect Marathon Petroleum to post earnings of $5.88 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 352.31%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $32.19 billion, down 9.6% from the year-ago period.

Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Marathon Petroleum should also be noted by investors. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company's business and profitability.

Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 4.03% higher. Marathon Petroleum is holding a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now.

Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Marathon Petroleum has a Forward P/E ratio of 7.44 right now. This represents a discount compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 8.05.

Meanwhile, MPC's PEG ratio is currently 0.25. 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. Oil and Gas - Refining and Marketing stocks are, on average, holding a PEG ratio of 0.57 based on yesterday's closing prices.

The Oil and Gas - Refining and Marketing industry is part of the Oils-Energy sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 71, which puts it in the top 29% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow MPC in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.


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