Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $204.25.

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $231.00 to $184.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Scotiabank restated an “outperform” rating and set a $174.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Friday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $211.00 to $179.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, 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.

Key Stories Impacting Marathon Petroleum

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

• Positive Sentiment: Blowout Q4 results and cash returns — MPC reported strong fourth-quarter results (adjusted EPS $4.07), robust refining margins and disclosed large shareholder returns for 2025, which underpin near-term free cash flow and dividend/buyback visibility. Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) Announces Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs upgrade and higher price target — Goldman raised its price target to $239 and reiterated a “buy,” signaling institutional conviction and providing a catalyst for momentum investors. Goldman Sachs price target lift (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: Sector tailwind / energy-refiner rally — Refiners, including MPC, have attracted institutional flows as geopolitical disruptions tightened near‑term supply expectations; several reports tie MPC’s move to a broader refiner bid and rotation into energy names. QuiverQuant: Energy/refiner rally analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views are mixed despite a small lift in model fair value — Street fair value moved modestly from ~$199.56 to ~$202.50 as some firms raise targets on refining strength while others trim 2026 assumptions; this creates both upside case and valuation caution. How The Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Story Is Shifting
• Neutral Sentiment: Positive press/coverage on momentum and value narratives — Multiple outlets highlight MPC as a top value/momentum/refiner pick, supporting retail and quant interest but not guaranteeing further gains. Zacks: MPC value/momentum coverage
• Negative Sentiment: IAE / strategic releases and institutional repositioning could cap upside — The IEA’s planned 400M‑barrel release and notable institutional trimming (large funds reducing MPC positions per filings) introduce risk that supply easing or heavy selling could pressure oil/refining margins or limit multiple expansion. Benzinga: IEA 400M-barrel release / market reaction QuiverQuant: institutional activity and risks

Marathon Petroleum Stock Up 0.3%

Shares of MPC stock traded up $0.78 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $230.85. 138,876 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,477,465. Marathon Petroleum has a 52 week low of $115.10 and a 52 week high of $236.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The business has a 50 day moving average of $191.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $187.77. The company has a market capitalization of $68.04 billion, a PE ratio of 17.29, a PEG ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 0.69.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.34. The firm had revenue of $32.57 billion during 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.77 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 issued a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 18th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.96%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MPC. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Navalign LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 103.1% in the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 199 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Marathon Petroleum

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.