Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Stock Price Expected to Rise, UBS Group Analyst Says

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) had its price target upped by investment analysts at UBS Group from $221.00 to $280.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. UBS Group’s target price points to a potential upside of 15.80% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on MPC. Barclays lowered their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $202.00 to $194.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $211.00 to $239.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $213.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $211.00 to $179.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, February 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $219.19.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of Marathon Petroleum stock opened at $241.81 on Thursday. 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 company has a market cap of $71.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.11, a PEG ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 0.58. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $212.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $194.39. Marathon Petroleum has a 52-week low of $115.10 and a 52-week high of $255.77.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last announced 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. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The company had revenue of $32.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.89 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.77 earnings per share. Marathon Petroleum’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In other Marathon Petroleum news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,810 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.78, for a total value of $406,851.80. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 10,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,290,058.64. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders have sold 4,473 shares of company stock worth $1,015,428 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Alberta Investment Management Corp purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter worth $2,891,000. First Interstate Bank purchased a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter valued at $5,050,000. Diversified Trust Co. increased its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 39.3% in the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 15,675 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,549,000 after buying an additional 4,419 shares in the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR raised its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 36.8% in the third quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 41,225 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $7,946,000 after acquiring an additional 11,082 shares during the period. Finally, KKM Financial LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 27.6% during the 3rd quarter. KKM Financial LLC now owns 26,202 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $5,050,000 after acquiring an additional 5,661 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

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.