Barclays Increases Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Price Target to $230.00

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) had its target price upped by stock analysts at Barclays from $194.00 to $230.00 in a research note issued on Friday, Marketbeat reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Barclays‘s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 3.21% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $213.00 to $217.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $216.00 to $205.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Mizuho increased their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $205.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $239.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $221.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marathon Petroleum has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $232.88.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Down 0.3%

Marathon Petroleum stock opened at $222.85 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. Marathon Petroleum has a 12 month low of $117.74 and a 12 month high of $255.77. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $218.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $196.09. The firm has a market cap of $65.63 billion, a PE ratio of 16.69, a P/E/G ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.58.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Petroleum

In other news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,810 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.78, for a total value of $406,851.80. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 10,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,290,058.64. This trade represents a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders have sold 4,473 shares of company stock valued at $1,015,428 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 17,934,327 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,916,660,000 after acquiring an additional 47,896 shares during the period. Boston Partners raised its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 6,305,428 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,214,522,000 after acquiring an additional 141,691 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $472,312,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,818,361 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $458,350,000 after buying an additional 11,693 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,600,191 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $422,869,000 after buying an additional 67,600 shares during the period. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Marathon Petroleum

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $264 and maintained a Buy — the largest, most bullish lift this week and a clear catalyst for upside re-rating. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays moved its target to $230 and kept an Overweight — another institutional vote that supports further multiple expansion. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded MPC from Hold to Strong-Buy, adding short-term positive sentiment from retail-focused research. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage piece notes upgraded earnings views, stronger refiner margins with higher oil, and an active buyback program — a fundamental case supporting a higher forward valuation. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its target to $243 but kept a Neutral rating — signals upside but tempered conviction. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan and Piper Sandler both lifted targets (to $235 and $228 respectively) while keeping Neutral ratings — modestly constructive but not strong buy-side conviction. JPMorgan Article Piper Article
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the bullish analyst activity, MPC experienced a sharp intraday drop on April 8 (roughly a 5.5% decline) — a reminder of near-term volatility and possible profit-taking after the recent run-up. Article Title

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.