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Is Marathon Oil (MRO) Outperforming Other Oils-Energy Stocks This Year?

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Investors interested in Oils-Energy stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Has Marathon Oil (MRO - Free Report) been one of those stocks this year? By taking a look at the stock's year-to-date performance in comparison to its Oils-Energy peers, we might be able to answer that question.

Marathon Oil is one of 254 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 Oil is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MRO's full-year earnings has moved 42.4% higher. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

According to our latest data, MRO has moved about 37.3% on a year-to-date basis. In comparison, Oils-Energy companies have returned an average of 19.2%. This shows that Marathon Oil is outperforming its peers so far this year.

One other Oils-Energy stock that has outperformed the sector so far this year is Arch Resources (ARCH - Free Report) . The stock is up 57.5% year-to-date.

Over the past three months, Arch Resources' consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 3.5%. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Looking more specifically, Marathon Oil belongs to the Oil and Gas - Integrated - United States industry, which includes 11 individual stocks and currently sits at #80 in the Zacks Industry Rank. On average, stocks in this group have gained 41% this year, meaning that MRO is slightly underperforming its industry in terms of year-to-date returns.

In contrast, Arch Resources falls under the Coal industry. Currently, this industry has 8 stocks and is ranked #30. Since the beginning of the year, the industry has moved +54%.

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


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