Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Given New $239.00 Price Target at The Goldman Sachs Group

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) had its price objective hoisted by The Goldman Sachs Group from $211.00 to $239.00 in a report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

Several other research firms also recently issued reports on MPC. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Raymond James Financial raised their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Mizuho lifted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $198.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marathon Petroleum presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $204.25.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Up 1.6%

Shares of MPC stock opened at $230.36 on Thursday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $191.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $187.77. Marathon Petroleum has a fifty-two week low of $115.10 and a fifty-two week high of $236.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The stock has a market cap of $67.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.69.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The oil and gas company reported $4.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.34. The business had revenue of $32.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.89 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.77 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.96%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MPC. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,050 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $333,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. IFG Advisory LLC increased its position in Marathon Petroleum by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. IFG Advisory LLC now owns 3,429 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $558,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Associated Banc Corp raised its position in Marathon Petroleum by 2.1% during the third quarter. Associated Banc Corp now owns 2,475 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $477,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 1.2% during the 4th quarter. Eagle Bluffs Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,357 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $709,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Auxano Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Auxano Advisors LLC now owns 2,630 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $428,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Marathon Petroleum News

Here are the key news stories impacting Marathon Petroleum this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Blowout Q4 results — MPC reported much stronger Q4 earnings and adjusted EPS, reiterated robust refining margins and highlighted large 2025 cash returns that support future buybacks/dividends. This directly improves near-term free cash flow expectations. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $239 and maintained a Buy rating — a major sell‑side upgrade that can attract fresh flows and supports higher valuation. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Sector rotation into refiners — institutional buying and analyst bullishness toward refiners is lifting MPC alongside peers, increasing demand for the stock. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: IEA announced a planned 400M-barrel release of emergency reserves — this is a large supply action that could ease oil prices (negative for margins) but market reaction has been mixed given concurrent geopolitical supply risks, so the net impact on refiners is uncertain. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Geopolitical volatility (Middle East / Iran) — developments are keeping oil price volatility elevated; higher crude benefits refiners if product cracks widen, but outcomes remain path‑dependent. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Longer‑term capacity considerations — announcements about new U.S. refining capacity (first major new refinery in decades) could, over time, add domestic supply and pressure margins if demand doesn’t keep pace. That is a potential longer‑term headwind for refiners like MPC. Read More.

Marathon Petroleum Company Profile

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: MPC) is a U.S.-based downstream energy company engaged principally in the refining, marketing, supply and transportation of petroleum products. The company was formed through a spin-off from Marathon Oil in 2011 and operates an integrated system of refining and logistics assets that support the production and distribution of transportation fuels and other refined petroleum products.

Marathon Petroleum’s operations include refining crude oil into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt and other specialty products, as well as managing the distribution and storage infrastructure needed to move those products to market.