APA vs MPC vs SOBO Stock Comparison

Apa, Marathon Petroleum and South Bow Prices as of Oct 27, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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APA APA Corp
$50.79 +18.8% 1M +117.6% 1Y
Market cap
$18.25B
P/E
10.9x
Revenue (TTM)
$8.61B
Div. yield
0.02%
Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Energy
4 wins
MPC Marathon Petroleum Corp
$435.81 +10.8% 1M +122.1% 1Y
Market cap
$126.12B
P/E
14.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$156.18B
Div. yield
0.01%
Oil Refining Energy
6 wins
SOBO South Bow Corp
$35.47 +4.4% 1M +36.1% 1Y
Market cap
$7.47B
P/E
16.2x
Revenue (TTM)
$2.00B
Div. yield
–
Oil and Gas Pipelines Energy
2 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Marathon Petroleum leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Marathon Petroleum 6, Apa 4, South Bow 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAPAMPCSOBOLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $18.25B $126.12B $7.47B MPC
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 10.9x 14.7x 16.2x APA
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 7.7x 6.4x 18.9x MPC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months -16.1% +15.9% -2.1% MPC
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 19.5% 5.5% 23.0% SOBO
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital — 19.7% 9.2% MPC
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.7x 1.5x 4.4x APA
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.02% 0.01% 0.00% APA
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +117.6% +122.1% +36.1% MPC
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +13.4%/yr +45.6%/yr — MPC
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 43.9% 36.9% 22.7% SOBO
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 73/100 59/100 58/100 APA

Percentile Scorecard

APAMPCSOBO

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisAPAMPCSOBO
Valuation 77 #24 of 99 32 #16 of 23 68 #12 of 35
Growth 75 #25 of 97 67 #7 of 19 55 #16 of 34
Profitability 93 #8 of 96 94 #2 of 18 67 #12 of 34
Financial Health 52 #50 of 102 57 #11 of 24 50 #18 of 35
Shareholder Returns 71 #23 of 76 47 #10 of 18 53 #15 of 31
Overall 73 59 58
  • APA ranked among 103 companies in Oil and Gas Upstream
  • MPC ranked among 25 companies in Refining and Marketing
  • SOBO ranked among 35 companies in Oil and Gas Midstream

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodAPAMPCSOBOSPY
1 month +18.8%+10.8%+4.4% -0.2%
3 months +45.4%+42.4%-4.6% +3.9%
6 months +31.4%+87.4%+8.4% +8.2%
Year to date +107.6%+168.0%+29.1% +12.9%
1 year +117.6%+122.1%+36.1% +12.3%
3 years +26.6%+198.5%— +87.4%
3 years, per year +8.2%+44.0%— +23.3%
5 years +87.6%+553.7%— +67.9%
5 years, per year +13.4%+45.6%— +10.9%
10 years -17.7%+918.0%— +261.1%
10 years, per year -1.9%+26.1%— +13.7%

Risk

MeasureAPAMPCSOBOSPY
Volatility, 1Y 43.9%36.9%22.7% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 42.5%36.5%22.1% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y -0.99-0.27-0.20 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 2.683.311.59 0.97
Max drawdown, 5Y -72.7%-45.9%-20.2% -25.4%
From 52-week high -2.1%-10.2%-8.3% -1.2%
52-week high $51.90$485.05$38.69 $779.14
52-week low $21.66$162.63$25.26 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleAPAMPCSOBO
P/E now vs peer median 10.7xmedian 13.0x 14.7xmedian 9.2x 16.1xmedian 20.9x
P/S now vs peer median 2.1xmedian 2.1x 0.8xmedian 0.3x 3.7xmedian 2.7x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 4.7xmedian 5.9x 8.5xmedian 7.0x 10.9xmedian 11.0x
P/FCF now vs peer median 8.4xmedian 11.1x 9.5xmedian 8.9x 11.5xmedian 16.5x
P/B now vs peer median 2.2xmedian 1.5x 4.8xmedian 1.8x 2.8xmedian 2.6x
PEG now vs peer median -19.63median 2.27 -14.33median 0.34 —median 1.95

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsAPAMPCSOBO
Revenue $8.61B $156.18B $2.00B
Gross profit $7.81B $21.79B $1.72B
Operating income $2.31B $14.13B –
Net income $1.98B $10.31B $460.00M
Free cash flow $2.11B $12.90B $640.00M
R&D $142.00M – –
EPS (diluted) $4.74 $29.50 $2.20
Cash & equivalents $444.00M $7.77B $726.00M
Total debt $17.14B $33.26B $5.73B
Shares (diluted) 354.00M 290.00M 208.80M
Enterprise value $16.52B $109.87B $5.10B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricAPAMPCSOBO
P/E 10.7x 14.7x 16.1x
P/FCF 8.4x 9.5x 11.5x
P/Operating cash flow 3.9x 7.1x 8.8x
P/S 2.1x 0.8x 3.7x
P/B 2.2x 4.8x 2.8x
P/Tangible book 2.2x 5.3x 2.8x
EV/EBITDA 4.7x 8.5x 10.9x
EV/EBIT 9.1x 10.5x 13.9x
EV/Revenue 2.4x 0.9x 6.2x
EV/FCF 10.0x 11.5x 19.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 4.7x 8.6x 14.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) -19.63 -14.33 –

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAPAMPCSOBO
Revenue growth (1Y) -16.1% 15.9% -2.1%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) -2.3% -0.6% –
Gross profit growth (1Y) -6.7% 71.5% 1.5%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 1.5% -5.4% –
Operating income growth (1Y) 3,511% 163.0% –
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 10.4% -9.1% –
Net income growth (1Y) 54.0% 174.5% 53.3%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 2.1% -10.4% –
EPS growth (1Y) 58.2% 324.1% 134.7%
EPS CAGR (3Y) -0.5% -1.0% –
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -2.7% 164.9% 30.1%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 5.5% 4.8% –
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 33.2% 253.7% 14.9%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 7.5% 1.0% –

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAPAMPCSOBO
Gross margin 90.8% 14.0% 85.8%
EBITDA margin 52.3% 11.2% 56.9%
Operating margin 26.8% 9.0% –
Pretax margin 36.1% 8.2% 27.8%
Net margin 19.5% 5.5% 23.0%
FCF margin 24.6% 8.3% 32.0%
Operating cash flow margin 52.6% 11.0% 41.9%
Return on equity 25.8% 42.0% 17.3%
Return on assets 11.0% 11.3% 4.1%
Return on invested capital – 19.7% 9.2%
Return on capital employed 14.8% 22.1% 9.1%
Asset turnover 0.5x 1.7x 0.2x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.3x 1.7x 1.8x
Stock comp / revenue – – –

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAPAMPCSOBO
Debt / assets 20.8% 35.3% 50.4%
Debt / equity 0.5x 1.3x 2.2x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.7x 1.5x 4.4x
Debt / FCF 1.8x 2.6x 9.0x
Liabilities / assets 55.8% 72.7% 76.6%
Equity / assets 44.2% 27.3% 23.4%
Interest coverage 10.6x 10.4x 2.7x
Current ratio 0.9x 1.3x 1.5x
Quick ratio 0.7x 0.9x 1.2x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.3x 0.5x
Altman Z-score 1.99 3.97 1.03

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAPAMPCSOBO
Dividend yield 2.0% 0.9% 5.6%
Net buyback yield 1.3% 4.0% -0.1%
Shareholder yield 3.3% 4.9% 5.5%
Payout ratio (earnings) 17.9% 11.3% –
Payout ratio (FCF) 16.8% 9.0% –
Dividend growth (1Y) -3.0% 2.8% –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 8.8% -3.4% –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusAPAMPCSOBO
Forward P/E 7.7xFY2026 6.4xFY2026 18.9xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $6.59FY2026 $68.44FY2026 $1.88FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +74.8%FY2026 +539.6%FY2026 -4.6%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after -17.0% -13.2% +3.7%
Revenue, next fiscal year $8.94BFY2026 $192.95BFY2026 $2.07BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -3.1%FY2026 +42.7%FY2026 +4.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after -0.3% -9.3% +3.7%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAPAMPCSOBO
Held by institutions 100.0% 75.7% 62.0%
Institutions holding 809 1,931 305
Change in shares held, QoQ +3.2% -0.3% -2.3%
Institutions buying 432 856 126
Institutions selling 244 699 92
Buyers to sellers 1.77 1.22 1.37

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

APAMPCSOBO
APA 1.00 0.53 0.35
MPC 0.53 1.00 0.33
SOBO 0.35 0.33 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, APA, MPC and SOBO?

Marathon Petroleum (MPC) is the largest by market capitalisation: Apa (APA) $18.25B, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) $126.12B, South Bow (SOBO) $7.47B.

Which stock is cheaper, APA, MPC and SOBO?

Apa (APA) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Apa (APA) 10.9x, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) 14.7x, South Bow (SOBO) 16.2x). On next year's consensus earnings, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) is cheapest (Apa (APA) 7.7x, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) 6.4x, South Bow (SOBO) 18.9x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Marathon Petroleum (MPC) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Apa (APA) -16.1%, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) +15.9%, South Bow (SOBO) -2.1%.

Which company is more profitable?

South Bow (SOBO) has the highest net margin (Apa (APA) 19.5%, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) 5.5%, South Bow (SOBO) 23.0%). On return on invested capital, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) leads (Marathon Petroleum (MPC) 19.7%, South Bow (SOBO) 9.2%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Marathon Petroleum (MPC) returned the most: Apa (APA) +117.6%, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) +122.1%, South Bow (SOBO) +36.1%. Over five years, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) compounded fastest (Apa (APA) +13.4%/yr, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) +45.6%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Apa (APA) has the highest dividend yield: Apa (APA) 0.02%, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) 0.01%, South Bow (SOBO) 0.00%. South Bow (SOBO) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, South Bow (SOBO) has been the steadiest (Apa (APA) 43.9%, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) 36.9%, South Bow (SOBO) 22.7%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, APA, MPC and SOBO?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Marathon Petroleum (MPC) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.