LIVE
MRO
Marathon Oil Corporation · Energy - Oil & Gas E&P
N/A
N/A this month
VERSUS
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COMPARE
APA
APA Corporation · Energy - Oil & Gas E&P
$33.03
-19.26% this month
Scoreboard verdict
Across AI score, momentum, valuation, upside, operating margin
MRO
0
APA
0
Comparison scoreboard
MIXED SETUPAI Score
MRO N/A
APA 27.3
1Y Return
MRO N/A
APA +58.95%
Fwd P/E
MRO N/A
APA 7.67
Target Up.
MRO N/A
APA +30.91%
Op. Margin
MRO N/A
APA 38.49%
Metrics last refreshed: 6/22/2026
Quick take
MRO vs APA Stock Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
MRO (Marathon Oil) and APA (APA Corporation) are both mid-cap E&P companies with Permian presence — Marathon Oil as a U.S.-only, capital-return-focused operator, versus APA with its international diversification (North Sea) and Suriname exploration upside. Marathon prioritizes near-term cash returns; APA offers longer-dated exploration optionality.
MRO vs APA is U.S.-only capital discipline versus diversified international E&P with exploration upside — Marathon's buyback-focused free cash flow return against APA's Suriname discovery option with North Sea income.
Live analysis · updated 6/22/2026
MRO and APA are closely matched — they split the tracked metrics evenly.
Normalized 1Y performance
MRO
APA
Not enough data to chart yet.
Recent returns
MRO
APA
Analyst price targets & sentiment
MRO
Price target data unavailable
N/A
APA
Price target range
analyst mean$43.24
current price$33.03
+30.9% upside to analyst mean
Who should consider this stock?
MRO may suit investors who:
- →Want a U.S.-only E&P company with disciplined capital return through buybacks and no international geopolitical exposure
- →Value Marathon Oil's multi-basin flexibility to high-grade capital to best-returning U.S. shale basins
- →Prefer capital return maximization over exploration upside — Marathon returned to a pure U.S. E&P focus through strategic divestitures
APA may suit investors who:
- →Want Permian Basin E&P exposure plus international diversification and a Suriname offshore exploration call option on potential large discovery
- →Value the North Sea's cash flow contribution as a second cash-generating region alongside U.S. Permian operations
- →See Suriname as a high-upside long-dated option that could transform APA if offshore development produces at expected rates
Performance & AI score
| Metric | MRO | APA |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | N/A | 27.3 |
| AI rank | N/A | #2497 |
| Latest close | N/A | $33.03 |
| 1M return | N/A | -19.26% |
| 6M return | N/A | +34.10% |
| 1Y return | N/A | +58.95% |
$10,000 invested — hypothetical growth (dividends reinvested)
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | MRO | APA |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | N/A | $16.26K (+62.6%) started 2025-06-18 |
| 5Y ago | N/A | $18.49K (+84.9%) started 2021-06-21 |
| 10Y ago | N/A | $9.31K (-6.9%) started 2016-06-20 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
Valuation & upside potential
| Metric | MRO | APA |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | N/A | $11.68B |
| Trailing P/E | N/A | 7.70 |
| Forward P/E | N/A | 7.67 |
| Price/Sales | 2.39 | N/A |
| EV/Revenue | N/A | 2.01 |
| Analyst target | N/A | $43.24 |
| Target upside | N/A | +30.91% |
Growth, profitability & risk
| Metric | MRO | APA |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | N/A | -11.90% |
| Earnings growth | N/A | 32.20% |
| EPS growth | N/A | +32.20% |
| FCF margin | N/A | +20.20% |
| Operating margin | N/A | 38.49% |
| Profit margin | N/A | 18.31% |
| ROIC proxy | N/A | 26.22% |
| Return on equity | N/A | 26.22% |
| Dividend yield | N/A | 3.03% |
| Beta | 0.32 | 0.33 |
| Debt/equity | N/A | 61.31 |
| Current ratio | N/A | 0.92 |
| Quick ratio | N/A | 0.70 |
Drawdown & downside risk
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
1Y risk snapshot
MRO max drawdownN/A
APA max drawdown25.59%
MRO max wkly dropN/A
APA max wkly drop13.80%
5Y risk snapshot
MRO max drawdownN/A
APA max drawdown70.47%
MRO max wkly dropN/A
APA max wkly drop33.60%
10Y risk snapshot
MRO max drawdownN/A
APA max drawdown93.49%
MRO max wkly dropN/A
APA max wkly drop68.12%
Performance metrics by period
| Period | Metric | MRO | APA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | N/A | +62.63% |
| CAGR | N/A | +62.74% | |
| Sharpe ratio | N/A | 1.19 | |
| Max drawdown | N/A | 25.59% | |
| Max daily drop | N/A | 9.80% | |
| Max wkly drop | N/A | 13.80% | |
| 5Y | Growth | N/A | +65.56% |
| CAGR | N/A | +10.63% | |
| Sharpe ratio | N/A | 0.36 | |
| Max drawdown | N/A | 70.47% | |
| Max daily drop | N/A | 16.48% | |
| Max wkly drop | N/A | 33.60% | |
| 10Y | Growth | N/A | -26.26% |
| CAGR | N/A | -3.00% | |
| Sharpe ratio | N/A | 0.18 | |
| Max drawdown | N/A | 93.49% | |
| Max daily drop | N/A | 53.86% | |
| Max wkly drop | N/A | 68.12% |
Business comparison
| Category | MRO | APA |
|---|---|---|
| Company | Marathon Oil Corporation | APA Corporation |
| Sector | Energy - Oil & Gas E&P | Energy |
| Industry | N/A | N/A |
| Core business | Marathon Oil is a U.S.-focused independent E&P company with operations in the Eagle Ford (Texas), Bakken (North Dakota), Permian Basin, and Oklahoma, following its strategic exit from international oil operations and refining through corporate divestitures. | APA Corporation (formerly Apache) operates oil and gas E&P across the U.S. Permian Basin, North Sea (UK and Egypt), and offshore Suriname where significant hydrocarbon discoveries create potential long-term development opportunity. |
| Investor focus | Investors track Marathon Oil's multi-basin U.S. production efficiency, capital discipline (maintaining flat capex through the cycle), strong free cash flow generation, and return to shareholders through buybacks. | Investors track APA's Permian production, North Sea cash flow, Suriname exploration results as a key long-term upside catalyst, and capital returns as the company manages its international and domestic portfolio. |
MRO strengths
- →U.S.-only portfolio following international divestitures provides simplified, domestically focused production base without geopolitical risk
- →Disciplined capital allocation framework targeting maintenance-level production with maximum free cash flow return to shareholders via buybacks
- →Diversified multi-basin position across Eagle Ford, Bakken, Permian, and Oklahoma provides optionality for high-grading capital to best-returning basins
APA strengths
- →Suriname offshore exploration represents a potentially transformative option — adjacent block discoveries by TotalEnergies suggest APA's acreage could hold significant undeveloped resources
- →Diversified U.S. and international portfolio across three distinct geographies reduces single-region production concentration
- →North Sea assets provide international cash flow diversification beyond U.S. unconventional production
Risks to watch — MRO
- →Post-international divestiture, Marathon Oil is purely a U.S. E&P company — growth depends on U.S. oil price assumptions and domestic well productivity
- →Buyback-heavy capital return means shareholders benefit most from stock price appreciation, while those seeking dividend income may prefer other operators
- →Eagle Ford is a more mature basin — well productivity trends in mature shale plays historically decline over time
Risks to watch — APA
- →Suriname development requires massive capital investment and carries long timelines — first production could be a decade away from current exploration results
- →North Sea assets are mature with natural production decline — ongoing investment is required to maintain output at existing levels
- →International operations add geopolitical, tax, and currency complexity that U.S.-only operators avoid
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