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Marathon Petroleum vs Valero Energy: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Marathon Petroleum holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across growth and profitability. The remaining gap is narrow enough that the comparison remains open to different readings. The market setup is broadly comparable for both — no clear directional signal from price behavior. The market is not adding a decisive signal either way — the structural read carries the weight.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the S&P 500 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-05-17

The lead is spread across growth and profitability, rather than sitting in one isolated gap.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. MPC and VLO share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how Marathon Petroleum and Valero Energy each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
MPC
Marathon Petroleum Corporation
63
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500
vs
VLO
Valero Energy Corporation
56
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: S&P 500

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

More than one operating dimension supports the result here.

Dimension spread: MPC vs VLO Profitability 60 49 Stability 41 50 Valuation 75 73 Growth 69 48 MPC VLO
Gap Ranking
#1 Growth +21
#2 Profitability +11
#3 Stability +9
#4 Valuation +2
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for MPC and VLO Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer MPCVLO Relative valuation Structural strength

The setup remains mixed because the stronger profile and the more supportive price setup do not sit on the same side.

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where MPC and VLO each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY MPC Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 0 pct gap VLO Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 99th 99th
MPC (99th percentile) and VLO (99th percentile) both sit in the upper portion of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Growth
Both rank well on growth, but Marathon Petroleum Corporation still holds a clear edge.
Profitability
On profitability, the edge still sits with Marathon Petroleum Corporation, even though both profiles look solid.
Growth — Dominant Gap
MPC
69
VLO
48
Gap+21in favour of MPC

Earnings growth is one contributing factor within the growth lead.

What else supports the lead

Capital efficiency adds support, with a 5.2-point ROIC advantage.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both growth and profitability, making it broader than a single-dimension result.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the MPC vs VLO comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Similar growth-and-profitability comparisons

Explore how MPC and VLO each compare against other companies in their peer groups.

Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.

Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.