BP PLC vs MARATHON PETROLEUM CORPORATION, two Oil & Gas Refining stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
19.77 is the number that defines this pair: Marathon Petroleum's return on equity, more than ten times BP's 1.8%, the pure refiner's buyback-shrunk equity base against the integrated major's impaired one. Marathon nets 3.4% of revenue running refineries and Speedway-adjacent marketing; BP nets 0.7% across upstream, downstream, and transition bets. Marathon trades at 16.7 times earnings with a 1.5% dividend and a 7.6% free-cash yield, near-debt-free; BP's multiple is unusable under write-downs though it yields 24.1% in free cash. The pair prices a focused refiner returning capital aggressively against a supermajor mid-reinvention; the refiner's return-on-equity is flattered by buybacks, but its business is at least uncomplicated.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | BP | MPC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $37.12 | $253.99 |
| Market cap | $101.5B | $74.9B |
| Sector | Oil & Gas Refining | Oil & Gas Refining |
| Stage | Cyclical | Cyclical |
| Implied growth (priced in) | — | -3.9% |
| P/E | — | 16.7 |
| P/B | 1.37 | 3.20 |
| P/S | 0.53 | 0.55 |
| EV/EBITDA | 2.1 | 6.1 |
| Revenue growth | +6.9% | -1.2% |
| Operating margin | 6.6% | 4.1% |
| Net margin | 0.7% | 3.4% |
| Return on equity | 1.8% | 19.8% |
| Return on assets | 0.5% | 5.3% |
| Return on invested capital | 13.5% | 29.0% |
| FCF yield | 24.1% | 7.6% |
| Dividend yield | — | 1.5% |
| Debt / equity | 0.00 | 0.09 |
| Current ratio | 1.26 | 1.18 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 1.23 | 2.97 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 8 / 9 | 7 / 9 |
Each week boothcheck ranks the stocks whose prices are betting on the most. Read the most stretched bets archive →
boothcheck is also on Android. Get the app on Google Play →
The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.