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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. Marathon Petroleum (MPC - Free Report) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? 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 a member of our Oils-Energy group, which includes 237 different companies and currently sits at #7 in 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 model that highlights a variety of stocks with the right characteristics to outperform the market over the next one to three months. The system emphasizes earnings estimate revisions and favors companies with improving earnings outlooks. Marathon Petroleum is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Over the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for MPC's full-year earnings has moved 11.8% higher. This is a sign of improving analyst sentiment and a positive earnings outlook trend.

Based on the most recent data, MPC has returned 6.1% so far this year. At the same time, Oils-Energy stocks have gained an average of 5.7%. This shows that Marathon Petroleum is outperforming its peers so far this year.

Another stock in the Oils-Energy sector, Oceaneering International (OII - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 6.9%.

For Oceaneering International, the consensus EPS estimate for the current year has increased 5.4% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, Marathon Petroleum is a member of the Oil and Gas - Refining and Marketing industry, which includes 16 individual companies and currently sits at #75 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 16.4% so far this year, so MPC is slightly underperforming its industry in this area.

On the other hand, Oceaneering International belongs to the Oil and Gas - Field Services industry. This 19-stock industry is currently ranked #46. The industry has moved +14.2% year to date.

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


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Oceaneering International, Inc. (OII) - free report >>

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