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Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Q4 Earnings and Sales Top Estimates

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Independent refiner and marketer Marathon Petroleum (MPC - Free Report) reported fourth quarter 2017 earnings per share of $1.05, ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.00. Higher contribution from the Refining & Marketing segment led to the outperformance.

Revenue Came in Higher than Expected: Marathon Petroleum posted revenues of $21,236 million, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $19,698 million.

Key Stats: Operating income from the Refining & Marketing segment – which is the main contributor to Marathon Petroleum earnings – was $732 million compared with $166 million in the year-ago quarter. The jump reflects wider gross margin.

Total refined product sales volumes were 2,414 thousand barrels per day (mbpd), up from the 2,240 mbpd in the year-ago quarter. Moreover, throughput improved from 1,810 mbpd in the year-ago quarter to 2,024 mbpd.

Income from the Speedway retail stations totaled $149 million, as against $165 million in the prior year quarter. Higher operating expenses and lower merchandise margins affected the results.

Finally, Midstream segment profitability was $343 million, up from $296 million in the fourth quarter of 2016. Earnings were buoyed by strength in volumes gathered, processed and fractionated.

Zacks Rank & Surprise History: Currently, Marathon Petroleum has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Coming to earnings surprise history, the company has a good record: it’s gone past estimates in three of the last four quarters resulting in an average positive surprise of 198.28%.

Share Performance: Shares of Marathon Petroleum have gained 17.7% during the fourth quarter, outperforming the industry’s 15% increase.

Check back later for our full write up on this Marathon Petroleum earnings report later!

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