5 Green Days In A Row: Marathon Petroleum Stock Is Up 11%
Marathon Petroleum (MPC) stock has risen for 5 consecutive trading days, gaining 11.3% over that stretch. That added about $12.7 billion to the company’s market value, which now stands at about $125.3 billion. The stock closed at $433.47 on Monday, October 5, its highest close of the past year.
The Streak Next To The S&P 500
Returns for MPC and the S&P 500 over the streak and the periods around it, all ending Monday, October 5 and including dividends:
| Return Period | MPC | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Day | 2.6% | 0.7% |
| 5 Days (Current Streak) | 11.3% | 1.2% |
| 1 Month (21 Trading Days) | 11.8% | 0.4% |
| 3 Months (63 Trading Days) | 63.2% | 3.9% |
| Year To Date | 169.6% | 14.6% |
| 1 Year (252 Trading Days) | 129.2% | 17.1% |
A Stock-Specific Run, Or A Market Move?
The market explains little of this: the S&P 500 gained 1.2% over the same 5 sessions, including dividends, against Marathon Petroleum’s +11.3%. 9 other S&P 500 stocks are currently on winning streaks of 5 days or longer. Over the past three months the stock is up 63.2%, a window that includes the streak; over the other 58 sessions of that window it was up 46.6%.
What The Numbers Say About The Rally
On the fundamentals, revenue grew 15.0% over the last twelve months, against a median of 12.5% for S&P 500 Energy stocks; its operating margin is 7.5%, versus a median of 22.9%; and the stock trades at 14.6 times trailing earnings against a median of 17.1. The read is mixed: revenue growth above the median and a multiple below the median on one side, margins below the median on the other.
A climb like this is worth respecting, and worth testing. Our Guidance Momentum screen tracks the stocks whose companies just raised their own forward numbers.
Prefer the theme to the single name? An energy ETF like XLE holds the whole group, not just this stock. It is still a concentrated bet on one theme, which is the gap the portfolio below is built to close.
One Hot Stock Is A Story. Thirty Sound Ones Are A Strategy
A streak like this earns a place on your watchlist, and it also earns a question: how much of your outcome do you want depending on one company keeping this up?
The Trefis High Quality (HQ) Portfolio answers it with breadth: roughly 30 businesses picked for consistent cash generation, strong margins, and balance-sheet strength, sized and rebalanced by rules. It has a track record of outpacing a benchmark that combines the S&P 500, the S&P MidCap 400, and the Russell 2000. Follow the story; invest in the strategy.