Valero Energy (VLO) Competitors

Valero Energy (NYSE:VLO) and Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) are both large-cap energy companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their community ranking, profitability, analyst recommendations, earnings, dividends, risk, institutional ownership, media sentiment and valuation.

Which has more risk and volatility, VLO or MPC?

Valero Energy has a beta of 0.99, indicating that its share price is 1% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Marathon Petroleum has a beta of 0.89, indicating that its share price is 11% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Does the MarketBeat Community favor VLO or MPC?

Valero Energy received 12 more outperform votes than Marathon Petroleum when rated by MarketBeat users. However, 73.23% of users gave Marathon Petroleum an outperform vote while only 71.31% of users gave Valero Energy an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Valero Energy	Outperform Votes 1054 71.31%	Underperform Votes 424 28.69%
Marathon Petroleum	Outperform Votes 1042 73.23%	Underperform Votes 381 26.77%

Does the media prefer VLO or MPC?

In the previous week, Valero Energy and Valero Energy both had 15 articles in the media. Valero Energy's average media sentiment score of 1.57 beat Marathon Petroleum's score of 1.07 indicating that Valero Energy is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Valero Energy	12 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Very Positive
Marathon Petroleum	9 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	3 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is VLO or MPC more profitable?

Marathon Petroleum has a net margin of 2.45% compared to Valero Energy's net margin of 2.13%. Marathon Petroleum's return on equity of 12.07% beat Valero Energy's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Valero Energy	2.13%	9.58%	4.37%
Marathon Petroleum	2.45%	12.07%	3.98%

Do insiders & institutionals have more ownership in VLO or MPC?

78.7% of Valero Energy shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 76.8% of Marathon Petroleum shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.4% of Valero Energy shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of Marathon Petroleum shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Do analysts recommend VLO or MPC?

Valero Energy currently has a consensus target price of $151.93, indicating a potential upside of 14.01%. Marathon Petroleum has a consensus target price of $176.21, indicating a potential upside of 6.99%. Given Valero Energy's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Valero Energy is more favorable than Marathon Petroleum.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Valero Energy	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	13 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	3.06
Marathon Petroleum	1 Sell rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	8 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.56

Which has higher valuation & earnings, VLO or MPC?

Marathon Petroleum has higher revenue and earnings than Valero Energy. Marathon Petroleum is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Valero Energy, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Valero Energy	$128.38B	0.33	$2.77B	$2.83	47.09
Marathon Petroleum	$137.68B	0.37	$3.45B	$7.11	23.17

Is VLO or MPC a better dividend stock?

Valero Energy pays an annual dividend of $4.52 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.4%. Marathon Petroleum pays an annual dividend of $3.64 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. Valero Energy pays out 159.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Marathon Petroleum pays out 51.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Valero Energy has increased its dividend for 4 consecutive years and Marathon Petroleum has increased its dividend for 3 consecutive years. Valero Energy is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

Valero Energy beats Marathon Petroleum on 12 of the 21 factors compared between the two stocks.