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Marathon Petroleum's Q3 profits miss estimates due to higher turnaround costs

Marathon Petroleum, a U.S. refiner, missed Wall Street's expectations for the third quarter profits on Tuesday as higher turnaround costs in refining and losses from renewable diesel weighed on performance.

At 1:30 pm, shares of Marathon, which is the largest refiner in the United States by volume, had fallen about 7%. ET (1830 GMT). Marathon's results highlight the challenges facing U.S. refining companies as inflation and high maintenance costs eat away at earnings, despite strong demand.

According to LSEG, the company reported a quarterly profit of $3.01, compared to an average analyst estimate of $3.15.

Analysts said the results were disappointing, as the earnings missed was rare and came despite outperformance of peers. Valero Energy, Phillips 66, and HF Sinclair all reported better than expected results due to a rebound in the refining margins.

COSTS ARE HIGHER, BUT RESULTS ARE LOWER

Marathon reported $400 in quarterly refining turn-around costs. This is up from $287 millions a year earlier, due mainly to increased planned maintenance activities. The company estimates that the turnaround expense for the fourth-quarter will be approximately $420 million. This is mainly due to activity on the West Coast.

For the third quarter 2025, refining costs increased to $5.59 per barrel from $5.23 a barrel.

Refiners in the Gulf Coast reported an increase in operating costs from $3.96 to $4.70 a barrel.

John Quaid told investors Tuesday that the downtime at the Galveston Bay Refinery, which is the second largest refinery in the U.S. by capacity, caused by a June fire, had a negative impact on the Gulf Coast's capture rate and results. Marathon plans to invest $200 million in a project for upgrading Galveston Bay’s distillate-processing unit this year, and another $575 million over the next two.

The quarter's refining and selling margin was $17.60 a barrel, compared to $14.63 a barrel one year ago. Analysts noted that the third quarter West Coast refining profits of $947m were lower than expected.

The refiner’s renewable diesel segment posted a loss of $56M for the third quarter, down from a loss of $61M a year earlier. Executives said that the results were affected by lower margins during the third quarter, due to higher prices for feedstock.

Marathon said that its 13 refineries ran at 95% capacity in the third quarter. This is up from 94% one year earlier. The company plans to run its facilities at 90% capacity by the fourth quarter 2025.

(source: Reuters)