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FRO vs. MPC: Frontline vs. Marathon Petroleum Stock Comparison

How do Frontline (FRO) and Marathon Petroleum (MPC) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Frontline (FRO) and Marathon Petroleum (MPC) both belong to the Oil, Gas & Consumable Fuels industry, though FRO is classified under Oil & Gas Storage & Transportation while MPC falls under Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing.

Company profile comparison for Frontline (FRO) and Marathon Petroleum (MPC)
Profile ItemFROMPC
NameFrontline plc Ordinary SharesMarathon Petroleum Corp.
Country/RegionCyprusUnited States
GICS SectorEnergyEnergy
GICS Industry GroupEnergyEnergy
GICS IndustryOil, Gas & Consumable FuelsOil, Gas & Consumable Fuels
GICS Sub-IndustryOil & Gas Storage & TransportationOil & Gas Refining & Marketing
Market Capitalization10.11 billion USD101.49 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateAugust 6, 2001June 24, 2011
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FRO
MPC
GSPC
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Frontline (FRO) vs. Marathon Petroleum (MPC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Frontline (FRO) and Marathon Petroleum (MPC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Frontline (FRO) and Marathon Petroleum (MPC). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Frontline (FRO) and Marathon Petroleum (MPC)
MetricFROMPC
Total Return (1Y)119.28%104.94%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)40.57%42.97%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)52.54%45.42%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FRO
MPC
GSPC
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Frontline (FRO) vs. Marathon Petroleum (MPC), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Frontline (FRO) and Marathon Petroleum (MPC). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Frontline (FRO) and Marathon Petroleum (MPC)
MetricFROMPC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)46.26%37.53%
Beta (5Y)0.220.56
Max Drawdown (5Y)-52.04%-44.75%
Avg. Volume (3M)3.68M2.56M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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FRO and MPC are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Frontline (FRO) and Marathon Petroleum (MPC)
MetricFROMPC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)2.492.68
Sortino Ratio (1Y)3.744.10

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both companies show strong equity returns, but Marathon Petroleum (MPC) at 60.46% is the standout with ROE above its industry range; Frontline (FRO) at 53.85% also sits in the top quartile.

FRO

Energy industry group

53.85%

FRO
53.85%
Max
53.85%
Q3
24.79%
Median
12.85%
Q1
2.03%
Min
-29.09%

MPC

Energy industry group

60.46%

MPC
60.46%
Max
53.85%
Q3
24.79%
Median
12.85%
Q1
2.03%
Min
-29.09%
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Frontline (FRO) vs. Marathon Petroleum (MPC): A comparison of their ROE against the Energy industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Frontline (FRO) at 54.76% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Marathon Petroleum (MPC) at 8.34%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

FRO

Energy industry group

54.76%

Max
56.92%
FRO
54.76%
Q3
22.92%
Median
10.10%
Q1
0.07%
Min
-27.38%

MPC

Energy industry group

8.34%

Max
56.92%
Q3
22.92%
Median
10.10%
MPC
8.34%
Q1
0.07%
Min
-27.38%
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Frontline (FRO) vs. Marathon Petroleum (MPC): A comparison of their net margin against the Energy industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Frontline (FRO) at 65.83% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Marathon Petroleum (MPC) at 17.98%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

FRO

Energy industry group

65.83%

Max
71.31%
FRO
65.83%
Q3
33.75%
Median
18.73%
Q1
6.94%
Min
-24.52%

MPC

Energy industry group

17.98%

Max
71.31%
Q3
33.75%
Median
18.73%
MPC
17.98%
Q1
6.94%
Min
-24.52%
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Frontline (FRO) vs. Marathon Petroleum (MPC): A comparison of their operating margin against the Energy industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Frontline (FRO) and Marathon Petroleum (MPC)
MetricFROMPC
ROE (TTM)53.85%60.46%
ROA (TTM)14.25%13.75%
Net Margin (TTM)54.76%8.34%
Operating Margin (TTM)65.83%17.98%
Gross Margin (TTM)63.03%16.20%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Frontline (FRO) at -4.16% and Marathon Petroleum (MPC) at -4.44% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Frontline (FRO) vs. Marathon Petroleum (MPC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Marathon Petroleum (MPC) at 31.15% sits in the top EPS growth quartile, while Frontline (FRO) at -23.77% is closer to the peer norm — faster per-share earnings growth for MPC.

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Frontline (FRO) vs. Marathon Petroleum (MPC): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Frontline (FRO) and Marathon Petroleum (MPC)
MetricFROMPC
Revenue Growth (YoY)-4.16%-4.44%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)11.17%-9.23%
EPS Growth (YoY)-23.77%31.15%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)-8.37%-22.24%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Frontline (FRO) at 1.87 and Marathon Petroleum (MPC) at 1.45 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

FRO

Energy industry group

1.87

Max
3.64
Q3
2.21
FRO
1.87
Median
1.41
Q1
0.88
Min
0.24

MPC

Energy industry group

1.45

Max
3.64
Q3
2.21
MPC
1.45
Median
1.41
Q1
0.88
Min
0.24
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Frontline (FRO) vs. Marathon Petroleum (MPC): A comparison of their current ratio against the Energy industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Frontline (FRO) at 0.77 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while Marathon Petroleum (MPC) at 1.15 uses more debt funding than most peers.

FRO

Energy industry group

0.77

Max
1.75
Q3
0.93
FRO
0.77
Median
0.54
Q1
0.30
Min
0.00

MPC

Energy industry group

1.15

Max
1.75
MPC
1.15
Q3
0.93
Median
0.54
Q1
0.30
Min
0.00
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Frontline (FRO) vs. Marathon Petroleum (MPC): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Energy industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Frontline (FRO) and Marathon Petroleum (MPC)
MetricFROMPC
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.871.45
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.771.15
Net Debt / EBITDA1.280.88

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Marathon Petroleum (MPC) at 1.09% pays an industry-typical yield; Frontline (FRO) at 12.04% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

FRO

Energy industry group

12.04%

FRO
12.04%
Max
8.57%
Q3
3.58%
Median
1.71%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

MPC

Energy industry group

1.09%

Max
8.57%
Q3
3.58%
Median
1.71%
MPC
1.09%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Frontline (FRO) vs. Marathon Petroleum (MPC): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Energy industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Frontline (FRO) at 46.93% and Marathon Petroleum (MPC) at 7.93% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

FRO

Energy industry group

46.93%

Max
133.24%
Q3
53.31%
FRO
46.93%
Median
25.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%

MPC

Energy industry group

7.93%

Max
133.24%
Q3
53.31%
Median
25.24%
MPC
7.93%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Frontline (FRO) vs. Marathon Petroleum (MPC): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Energy industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Frontline (FRO) and Marathon Petroleum (MPC)
MetricFROMPC
Dividend Yield (TTM)12.04%1.09%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)46.93%7.93%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Frontline (FRO) at 6.81 and Marathon Petroleum (MPC) at 7.39 sit in the cheaper earnings-multiple quartile for P/E ratio, with the market paying less for a dollar of trailing earnings than it pays for typical peers.

FRO

Energy industry group

6.81

Max
39.54
Q3
21.72
Median
12.19
Q1
7.71
FRO
6.81
Min
2.99

MPC

Energy industry group

7.39

Max
39.54
Q3
21.72
Median
12.19
Q1
7.71
MPC
7.39
Min
2.99
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Frontline (FRO) vs. Marathon Petroleum (MPC): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Energy industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Marathon Petroleum (MPC) at 0.58 looks cheap on sales in the lower P/S ratio quartile, while Frontline (FRO) at 3.72 looks rich in the upper quartile — a clear gap in price per dollar of revenue.

FRO

Energy industry group

3.72

Max
5.40
FRO
3.72
Q3
2.85
Median
1.69
Q1
0.88
Min
0.00

MPC

Energy industry group

0.58

Max
5.40
Q3
2.85
Median
1.69
Q1
0.88
MPC
0.58
Min
0.00
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Frontline (FRO) vs. Marathon Petroleum (MPC): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Energy industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both look rich against book: Frontline (FRO) at 3.20 sits in the upper P/B ratio quartile, and Marathon Petroleum (MPC) at 4.42 prices even higher, above its industry range.

FRO

Energy industry group

3.20

Max
4.21
FRO
3.20
Q3
2.38
Median
1.51
Q1
1.08
Min
0.01

MPC

Energy industry group

4.42

MPC
4.42
Max
4.21
Q3
2.38
Median
1.51
Q1
1.08
Min
0.01
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Frontline (FRO) vs. Marathon Petroleum (MPC): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Energy industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Frontline (FRO) and Marathon Petroleum (MPC)
MetricFROMPC
P/E Ratio (TTM)6.817.39
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.720.58
P/B Ratio (MRQ)3.204.42
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.81%16.00%