Sunoco LP SUN

Competitive advantage analysis · energy

Corporate Default
Overall moat score
61/100
Moderate

Ranked against 18 peers in Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing

About Sunoco LP

Sunoco LP, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the energy infrastructure and distribution of motor fuels in the United States. It operates in four segments: Fuel Distribution, Pipeline Systems, Refinery, and Terminals. The Fuel Distribution segment distributes motor fuels and other petroleum products, such as propane and lubricating oil to third-party dealers and distributors, independent operators of commission agent locations, … Full SUN analysis →

Key strengths

  • Margins Stable Across Cycles Operating margin volatility is low (stability score 0.94), demonstrating pricing resilience across cycles.
  • Operating Expense Control OpEx growth is controlled (score 0.71), demonstrating operating leverage.

Key risks

  • Elevated Debt Risk Debt serviceability is weak (score 0.38), raising refinancing risk.

The dashed ring is the peer median. Defense scores are percentile ranks against peers, so 50 is roughly the typical company in this group.

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Pricing Power

Strong
77
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Signals, strengths and risks for Pricing Power

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Signals, strengths and risks for Cost Advantage

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Signals, strengths and risks for Customer Stickiness

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Signals, strengths and risks for Capital Efficiency

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Signals, strengths and risks for Resilience

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Signals, strengths and risks for Scale & Market Position

Where SUN ranks in Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing

Sunoco LP ranks #5 of 19 scored companies in Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing by moat score — the top 26%. The widest moat in the group is Star Group L.P. (SGU) at 81/100.

# Company Moat score Rating
1 Star Group L.P. SGU 81/100 Strong
2 Par Pacific Holdings, Inc. Comm PARR 74/100 Moderate
3 Ultrapar Participacoes S.A. (Ne UGP 67/100 Moderate
4 Delek Logistics Partners, L.P. DKL 62/100 Moderate
5 Sunoco LP SUN 61/100 Moderate
6 CrossAmerica Partners LP CAPL 60/100 Moderate
7 Marathon Petroleum Corporation MPC 58/100 Moderate
8 Cosan S.A. CSAN 57/100 Moderate
9 Phillips 66 PSX 55/100 Moderate

See every Commodities & Mining company ranked by moat score →

How SUN scores on the Corporate Default defenses

Pricing Power

Score 77 · 20% of the moat score

Pricing power is the ability to raise prices without losing volume.

Cost Advantage

Score 76 · 15% of the moat score

A cost advantage means delivering the same product for structurally less — better purchasing, denser distribution, a more automated process.

Customer Stickiness

Score 61 · 15% of the moat score

Stickiness is what makes revenue repeat without being re-won every year.

Capital Efficiency

Score 22 · 18% of the moat score

Capital efficiency asks what the company earns on the money tied up in the business.

Resilience

Score 46 · 17% of the moat score

Resilience is the capacity to get through a bad year on its own terms — enough liquidity, enough interest cover, and enough cash generation to avoid a rescue financing or a forced sale.

Scale & Market Position

Score 58 · 15% of the moat score

Scale matters only when it converts into economics.

How each Corporate Default defense is measured, in full →

Understanding SUN's moat

What is Sunoco LP's moat score?

Sunoco LP (SUN) scores 61 out of 100 on the StatsAlpha Moat Map, which rates its competitive advantage as moderate. It ranks #5 of 19 scored companies in Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing, the top 26%. The score is a weighted composite of 6 competitive defenses, each measured against industry peers of 18 companies in Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing. Its strongest defense is Pricing Power (77/100) and its weakest is Capital Efficiency (22/100).

How does Sunoco LP compare with other Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing companies?

Sunoco LP ranks #5 of 19 scored companies in Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing by moat score. The widest moat in Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing is Star Group L.P. (SGU) at 81/100. The companies ranked closest are Delek Logistics Partners, L.P. (DKL) at 62 just above it and CrossAmerica Partners LP (CAPL) at 60 just below it.

How is the moat score calculated?

Each company is scored with an industry-specific template — Corporate Default in this case, chosen because the defenses that matter to a bank are not the ones that matter to a software company. Every defense combines several financial signals, and each signal is measured as a percentile against a peer group of 18 companies in Oil & Gas Refining & Marketing. The defenses are then weighted to produce the overall score out of 100.

Why is Sunoco LP scored with the Corporate Default template?

Most public companies sell a product or a service at a margin, so the moat question is whether that margin survives contact with competitors. The Corporate template scores the six defenses that show up in a general operating company's financial signature: whether it can hold price, produce more cheaply than rivals, keep its customers, earn a return above its cost of capital, withstand a downturn, and turn size into economics.

Which competitive defenses are measured for Sunoco LP?

The Corporate Default template measures 6 defenses, and SUN scores: Pricing Power (77), Cost Advantage (76), Customer Stickiness (61), Capital Efficiency (22), Resilience (46), Scale & Market Position (58). Each is scored independently as a percentile against peers, so a company can be strong on one and weak on another — the overall score reflects how those defenses are weighted for this industry.

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