Is Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Outperforming Other Oils-Energy Stocks This Year?

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) 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 240 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 sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.

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).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MPC's full-year earnings has moved 16.3% higher. This shows that analyst sentiment has improved and the company's earnings outlook is stronger.

Based on the latest available data, MPC has gained about 48.4% so far this year. Meanwhile, the Oils-Energy sector has returned an average of 29.9% on a year-to-date basis. This means that Marathon Petroleum is performing better than its sector in terms of year-to-date returns.

One other Oils-Energy stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Pedevco Corp. (PED). The stock is up 45.6% year-to-date.

The consensus estimate for Pedevco Corp.'s current year EPS has increased 192.5% 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, which includes 17 individual stocks and currently sits at #66 in the Zacks Industry Rank.

Pedevco Corp., however, belongs to the Oil and Gas - Mechanical and and Equipment industry. Currently, this 11-stock industry is ranked #100.

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

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

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