April 30 (Reuters) - Marathon Petroleum Corp on Tuesday reported a 22 percent increase in quarterly earnings, helped by higher sales from its Galveston Bay plant.
Marathon, the third-largest stand-alone U.S. refining company, said its first-quarter profit was $725 million, or $2.17 per share, compared with $596 million or $1.70 per share, a year earlier.
Earnings met the analysts' average estimate, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Marathon finalized its purchase of the Galveston Bay refinery in February. The plant, known for a 2005 explosion that killed 15 workers, was purchased from BP Plc (LSE: BP.L - news) as part of a $2.4 billion sale of Gulf Coast assets.
