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MPC

S&P 500
Neutral · 53/100

Marathon Petroleum

Energy
Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing

$296.07

1.1%

Updated Aug 7, 11:30 AM ET

Report Card

MPC at a glance — five pillars scored 0–100 from real filed financials.

Value
0
Growth
0
Profitability
0
Health
0
Dividends
0

Overall: Neutral · 53/100. A wider, greener shape means more pillars look healthy. Dividends scores 0 when a company pays none — that is a choice, not a flaw.

Price — Past Year

▲ Up 45.1% over the last 12 months

Price 50-day average 200-day averageDCF fair value ±15%Source: Yahoo Finance · refreshed daily
Key Metrics

Market Cap

$77.76B

P/E

18.44x

Forward P/E (est.)

13.17x

ROE

27.3%

Revenue Growth

-0.9%

EPS Growth

115.0%

Profit Margin

3.4%

FCF Yield

14.9%

Debt / Equity

1.9x

ROIC

33.0%

Interest Coverage

Current Ratio

1.18x

Dividend Yield

1.6%

Implied Growth (rev. DCF)

2.7%

Rating Score

53/100

Business Overview
Research

Marathon Petroleum (MPC) is a large-cap company in the Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing industry, part of the Energy sector of the S&P 500, with a market value around $77.76B.

In its latest reported year it generated about $132.70B in revenue and $4.05B in net profit.

Our model rates MPC Neutral (53/100) on growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation. The summary below is built from its filed financials and current ratios and refreshes automatically.

Economic Moat

Evidence of durable competitive advantage in the filed financials (8 years of history).

No moat evidenceMoat evidence score: 28/100

The numbers don't show a durable competitive advantage — margins, growth, or returns on capital have been unstable or thin. Great returns are still possible; they just aren't protected.

Operating margin level0/100

7.0% average over the last 3 years

Operating margin stability0/100

±8.4 pts around 3.6% across 8 years

Revenue durability5/100

grew in 3 of the last 7 year-over-year periods

Free-cash-flow consistency75/100

positive in 7 of 8 years

Return on invested capital100/100

33.0% latest fiscal year

A moat can't be proven by numbers alone — this scores the evidence a durable advantage leaves behind (pricing power, consistency, returns on capital), computed the same way for every stock. Pair it with the business overview before concluding anything.

Technical Analysis (Educational)
Research

Technical analysis reads price and volume to judge momentum and timing. It complements the fundamentals above — it does not replace them. Here is what MPC's chart says today, with each tool explained.

Trend — moving averages. A moving average is the average closing price over a window, which smooths out daily noise. MPC trades near $296.07, above its 50-day average ($251.22) and 200-day average ($210.63). Price above both averages, with the shorter one above the longer, is the textbook definition of an uptrend — momentum favours buyers.

Momentum — RSI. The Relative Strength Index runs 0–100 and measures how strong recent gains are versus losses. Above 70 is "overbought", below 30 "oversold". At 55 it is in neutral territory — neither stretched nor washed out.

MACD. MACD compares two moving averages to flag shifts in momentum. Its histogram is currently positive — short-term momentum is improving.

Volatility — ATR. Average True Range is the typical daily move. MPC's is $8.03 (~2.7% of price), so swings of about that size each day are normal — handy for setting a stop that isn't too tight.

Support & resistance. Over the last month MPC found buyers near $238.28 (support) and sellers near $271.28 (resistance); its 52-week range is $158.00–$272.46. A decisive break beyond either edge often marks the next move.

Volume. The latest session traded 0.7× the 20-day average — lighter than usual, so the move carries less conviction. Rising volume on up-days suggests real buying; on down-days, real selling.

Educational information to help you read a chart — not a recommendation or a forecast. It updates daily as the price and indicators change.

Revenue Growth
Research

4Y CAGR

2.6%

2/4 checks passedRevenue growingRevenue growth beats sector midpointEPS growingEPS growing faster than revenue

Revenue moved from $86.09B in 2018 to $132.70B in 2025, a 6.4% compound annual growth rate. The most recent year declined 0.9% year over year. Shrinking revenue is worth a closer look — is it cyclical or structural?

Profitability
Research
3/4 checks passedProfitableNet margin above sector midpointROE above 12%ROIC above 10%

Gross Margin

11.9%

Operating Margin

6.2%

Net Margin

3.0%

ROE

27.3%

Marathon Petroleum keeps about 3.4% of each sales dollar as net profit, with a 11.9% gross margin and 6.2% operating margin. Return on equity is 27.3% and return on invested capital about 33.0%. Thin margins leave less cushion if costs rise.

Debt Analysis
Research
2/3 checks passedDebt under 1× equityDebt under 2× equityShort-term bills covered

Total Debt

$3.31B

Net Debt

$1.16B

Net Debt / EBITDA

0.14x

Debt / Equity

1.9x

Leverage: debt-to-equity is 1.9x, with a current ratio of 1.2x. That is elevated leverage, which raises risk if earnings or rates move against it. It carries roughly $3.31B of total debt against $2.15B of cash.

Cash Flow Analysis
Research
3/3 checks passedPositive free cash flowFCF yield above 2%Market expects achievable growth (<8%)

Operating CF

$8.25B

Free Cash Flow

$4.77B

FCF Margin

3.6%

In the latest year Marathon Petroleum produced about $8.25B of operating cash flow and $4.77B of free cash flow after capital spending. That is a free-cash-flow yield of about 14.9% on today's price. Strong cash generation funds dividends, buybacks, and reinvestment.

Dividend Safety

Can the payout survive a bad year? Scored from filed cash flow, earnings coverage, and the raise/cut record.

BorderlineSafety score: 55/100

The dividend is being paid, but coverage or consistency is thinner than an income investor should rely on without a closer look.

Dividend yield

1.6%

Per share (latest FY)

$3.73

Total paid (latest FY)

$1.14B

History on record

8 years

Free-cash-flow coverage100/100

dividend uses 24% of free cash flow

Earnings payout ratio100/100

28% of net income paid out

Raise streak0/100

no current raise streak

Cut history0/100

payout was cut at least once in the last 8 years

Coverage uses the latest fiscal year as filed with the SEC; the streak counts total dollars paid (per-share figures can carry split artifacts). Educational information, not income advice.

Valuation Analysis
Research
3/4 checks passedPositive earnings (P/E meaningful)P/E below sector's upper bandForward P/E below trailing (earnings growing)Trading below DCF fair value

P/E

18.44x

P/S

0.54x

P/B

3.34x

EV / EBITDA

MPC trades at 18.4x trailing earnings (about 13.2x on estimated forward earnings), 0.5x sales, and 3.3x book value. Reverse-engineering today's price implies the market expects roughly 2.7% long-term free-cash-flow growth. That is a fairly typical valuation for a profitable company.

DCF Fair Value (Educational)

A two-stage discounted cash flow on real SEC-filed free cash flow — the intrinsic-value anchor professional analysts triangulate from.

DCF fair value / share

$211.85

Current price

$296.07

-28% · Above fair-value estimate

Starting FCF (latest 10-K)

$4.77B

Growth, years 1–5

-0.9%

Fade to terminal, years 6–10

2.5%

Discount rate

9.0%

PV of 10-yr free cash flow$29.78B
PV of terminal value$32.07B
Estimated equity value$61.85B
Shares outstanding292M

Cash flows grow at the stage-1 rate (trailing revenue growth, capped at 20%) for five years, fade to 2.5% by year 10, and continue at that rate forever (Gordon terminal value), all discounted at 9.0%. Small changes in assumptions move the result a lot — treat this as one reference point, not a target price. Educational only, not investment advice.

Metrics vs. Sector Range

Where MPC sits versus its Energy sector peers in the S&P 500.

TTM P/E
18.4xFair
Forward P/E
13.2xFair
P/S ratio
0.5xCheap
Revenue growth
-0.9%Average
EPS growth
115.0%Strong
Gross margin
11.9%Weak
Net margin
3.4%Weak
ROE
27.3%Strong

Bands show the middle half (25th–75th percentile) of the 47 Energy companies in the S&P 500 — the peer-relative anchor professional comps analysis uses. Context only — not investment advice.

Sector Peer Comparison

How MPC stacks up against its Energy peers — valuation, profitability, and growth versus the sector median.

In the Energy sector (57 S&P 500 companies), MPC ranks #28 of 57 by our overall rating. It trades at roughly in line versus the sector on earnings (18.4x P/E vs. 19.4x median) with a higher return on equity (27.3% vs. 13.3%) and slower revenue growth (-0.9% vs. 0.7%).

P/E vs sector

18.4x

median 19.4x

ROE vs sector

27.3%

median 13.3%

Growth vs sector

-0.9%

median 0.7%

Sector rank

#28

of 57 by rating

CompanyP/ERev Gr.Rating
MPCThis stock18.4x-0.9%Neutral· 53
VLO21.3x-2.8%Neutral· 57
PSX19.7x-2.4%Neutral· 55
EQNR18x-2.4%Weak· 36
KMI20.8x13.1%Favorable· 68
CNQ12.1x0.7%Strong· 74
EOG13x2.7%Favorable· 63
WMB31.2x10.7%Favorable· 59
Energy median19.4x0.7%52/100

Valuation vs. quality map

sector medianVLOPSXEQNRKMICNQEOGWMBMPCP/E — cheaper ←→ pricierROE — more profitable ↑

The sweet spot is upper-left: more profitable (higher ROE) for a lower P/E. Dashed lines mark the sector median.

Compare side by side

Peers are the closest Energy companies by sub-industry and size. Sector median is across all 57 S&P 500 names in the sector. Educational, not a recommendation.

5-Year Projection Model

Project revenue → earnings → price. Edit the assumptions to build your own case.

2030 price target (Base Case)

$0.00 $0.00

vs. $296.07 today · expected CAGR -8%1%

Metric20262027202820292030
Revenue$136.68B$140.78B$145.00B$149.35B$153.83B
Net income$4.10B$4.22B$4.35B$4.48B$4.62B
EPS$15.61$16.08$16.56$17.06$17.57
Share price (low)$171.74$176.89$182.20$187.67$193.30
Share price (high)$281.03$289.46$298.14$307.09$316.30
CAGR (low–high)-42% / -5%-23% / -1%-15% / 0%-11% / 1%-8% / 1%

Educational model on sample fundamentals — not a forecast or investment advice. Outputs are only as good as your assumptions.

Bull Case

The case for MPC:

  • Strong return on equity (27.3%) shows capital is put to work well.
  • Healthy free-cash-flow yield (~14.9%) funds buybacks and dividends.
Bear Case

The case against MPC:

  • Revenue growth is slow/negative (-0.9%), limiting the upside engine.
  • Thin net margins (3.4%) leave little room for error.
  • Elevated leverage (debt/equity 1.9x) adds financial risk.
Key Risks
Research

Balance-sheet risk — debt/equity of 1.9x magnifies the impact of higher rates or weaker earnings.

Growth risk — sluggish revenue (-0.9%) leaves little margin for execution missteps.

Margin risk — thin profitability (3.4%) is vulnerable to cost or pricing pressure.

Market risk — sector rotation, the economic cycle, and broad sentiment move the stock regardless of fundamentals.

Investment Thesis
Research

On balance, the picture is mixed: Marathon Petroleum is a large-cap energy business with shrinking revenue, with modest profitability, and a heavier debt load to watch. It trades at 18.4x earnings, which our model scores Neutral (53/100). Weigh this against your own goals and time horizon — this is educational information, not a recommendation.

Analyst Ratings

What 25 Wall Street analysts covering MPC recommend (August 2026). Consensus is a useful sanity check — not a substitute for your own homework.

Buy
consensus · score 3.6 / 5 across 25 analysts
Strong Buy 2Buy 13Hold 9Sell 1Strong Sell 0

Latest SEC Filings

MPC's most recent filings, straight from SEC EDGAR. Annual and quarterly reports are the deep dives; 8-Ks flag material events the moment they happen.

In the Idea Lab

MPC — frequently asked questions

Is MPC a good stock to buy?

We don't give buy or sell advice. Our model rates Marathon Petroleum Neutral (53/100) based on its growth, profitability, financial health, and valuation — use that as a research starting point and make your own decision.

What is MPC's rating on The Stocks School?

Marathon Petroleum currently scores 53/100 (Neutral) on our transparent model, which weighs real fundamentals: growth, margins, returns on capital, balance-sheet strength, and valuation.

How our ratings work
Where does MPC's data come from?

Live price data plus real fundamentals and 5-year financials pulled directly from Marathon Petroleum's SEC filings — refreshed automatically, not hand-entered.

How is the 5-year projection for MPC calculated?

It's a scenario model: it grows revenue at an assumed rate, applies a profit margin and a valuation multiple, and shows the resulting share-price range. The assumptions are yours to change — it's a tool for thinking, not a prediction.

Is this MPC analysis financial advice?

No. Everything on this page is educational research, not financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell MPC. Always do your own research and consider a licensed professional.

Data notice. Fundamentals and financial statements are sourced from company filings (SEC EDGAR) and market-data providers; prices and market caps refresh on trading days and may be delayed. Ratings, projections, technical signals, and written summaries are model- or rule-generated for education and may simplify or lag the latest filings.

Not advice. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to buy, hold, or sell any security. Do your own research and consult a licensed financial professional before investing.