A sale or spinoff will cut Marathon’s risk

Article Excerpt

The upcoming spinoff or sale of Marathon Petroleum’s gas station/convenience store business could give the stock a short-term boost. (COVID-19-related travel restrictions have caused the shares of this oil refinery operator to drop 42% since the start of 2020.) However, following the split, the company’s remaining operations will probably continue to struggle until the economy recovers. MARATHON PETROLEUM CORP. $39 is a worthwhile hold. The company (New York symbol MPC; Resources sector; Shares outstanding: 650.3 million; Market cap: $25.4 billion; Dividend yield: 6.0%; Takeover Target Rating: Medium; www.marathonpetroluem.com) owns 16 oil refineries in the U.S. Marathon Oil Corp. (New York symbol MRO) spun off the operation in 2011. As a separate firm, Marathon’s revenue fell 13.2%, from $64.36 billion in 2015 to $55.83 billion in 2016. That reflects the transfer of some midstream pipeline and storage assets to its 63%-owned affiliate MPLX LP (New York symbol MPLX). Revenue then improved to $74.73 billion in 2017, before jumping to $123.95 billion in 2019. The company’s October 2018 purchase of rival…