Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Price Target Raised to $235.00

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) had its price target raised by JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $184.00 to $235.00 in a research note released on Thursday morning,MarketScreener reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

MPC has been the topic of several other research reports. UBS Group upped their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $221.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $213.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. TD Cowen upped their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $198.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $197.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $216.00 to $205.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $232.88.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

Shares of Marathon Petroleum stock opened at $222.85 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $65.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.58. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $218.24 and its 200-day moving average is $196.09. Marathon Petroleum has a one year low of $117.74 and a one year high of $255.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

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

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 18th. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is 29.96%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marathon Petroleum news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,810 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.78, for a total transaction of $406,851.80. Following the transaction, the insider owned 10,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,290,058.64. The trade was a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 4,473 shares of company stock worth $1,015,428 over the last 90 days. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MPC. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth approximately $472,312,000. Capital Wealth Planning LLC increased its position in Marathon Petroleum by 49,392.0% during the fourth quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 1,498,124 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $245,157,000 after buying an additional 1,495,097 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in Marathon Petroleum by 3,816.8% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,306,749 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $212,517,000 after buying an additional 1,273,386 shares during the last quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its position in Marathon Petroleum by 27,979.8% during the second quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 659,595 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $109,565,000 after buying an additional 657,246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc increased its position in Marathon Petroleum by 2,175.0% during the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 568,790 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $92,502,000 after buying an additional 543,788 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum News Summary

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.