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Are Oils-Energy Stocks Lagging Marathon Petroleum (MPC) This Year?

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For those looking to find strong Oils-Energy stocks, it is prudent to search for companies in the group that are outperforming their peers. Is Marathon Petroleum (MPC - Free Report) one of those stocks right now? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Oils-Energy sector should help us answer this question.

Marathon Petroleum is one of 246 companies in the Oils-Energy group. The Oils-Energy group currently sits at #1 within the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different groups, measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the sector to gauge the strength of each group.

The Zacks Rank is a proven system that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions, highlighting a variety of stocks that are displaying the right characteristics to beat the market over the next one to three months. Marathon Petroleum is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Within the past quarter, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MPC's full-year earnings has moved 24.7% higher. This means that analyst sentiment is stronger and the stock's earnings outlook is improving.

Our latest available data shows that MPC has returned about 26.6% since the start of the calendar year. At the same time, Oils-Energy stocks have gained an average of 3.2%. This shows that Marathon Petroleum is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Iris Energy Limited (IREN - Free Report) is another Oils-Energy stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year. Since the beginning of the year, the stock has returned 169.6%.

In Iris Energy Limited's case, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year increased 2800% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Marathon Petroleum belongs to the Oil and Gas - Refining and Marketing industry, a group that includes 15 individual stocks and currently sits at #13 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 6.7% this year, meaning that MPC is performing better in terms of year-to-date returns.

On the other hand, Iris Energy Limited belongs to the Alternative Energy - Other industry. This 39-stock industry is currently ranked #143. The industry has moved -14.8% year to date.

Investors interested in the Oils-Energy sector may want to keep a close eye on Marathon Petroleum and Iris Energy Limited as they attempt to continue their solid performance.


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