Integrated Oil, Refining & Marketing covers the integrated oil majors, independent refiners and fuel distributors. MoatScope covers 31 companies here. None has a wide moat; 15 have a narrow moat and 16 none.
How the industry makes money
Integrated majors earn across production, refining, chemicals and fuel marketing, which smooths results through the cycle. Independent refiners earn the spread between crude costs and the prices of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, a spread that swings widely.
Where the moats are
Efficient scale appears in 12 of the 15 moat-rated companies and cost advantages in 11: large, complex refineries and integrated systems are hard to replicate and cheap to run per barrel.
The narrow-moat group includes Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Shell, TotalEnergies, Petrobras, Marathon Petroleum and Valero. Companies without a moat include Eni, Equinor and Imperial Oil. Equinor scores 63 on MoatScope's quality scale despite carrying no moat.
What wears moats down
Commodity cycles swing profits, long-term demand for fuel faces the energy transition, and environmental rules raise refining costs.
What to watch
- Oil prices and refining margins.
- Capital discipline and shareholder returns.
- Spending on lower-carbon businesses.
Moat ratings and quality scores on this page update as companies report. Price versus fair value for every company in the industry is in the screener.