Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Reaches New 12-Month High on Analyst Upgrade

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Thursday after The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on the stock from $211.00 to $239.00. The Goldman Sachs Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Marathon Petroleum traded as high as $232.41 and last traded at $234.48, with a volume of 519780 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $226.74.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $211.00 to $179.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Piper Sandler reduced their price target 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. Mizuho raised their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $198.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $183.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marathon Petroleum has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $204.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 completion of the transaction, the insider owned 10,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,290,058.64. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Marathon Petroleum

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

• Positive Sentiment: Blowout Q4 results and big shareholder returns: MPC reported $4.07 adjusted EPS for Q4, topped revenue expectations, and returned substantial cash to shareholders—this underpins near-term earnings and buyback/dividend prospects. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $239 and reiterated a “buy” rating, signaling institutional confidence and providing upward pressure on sentiment. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Recent intraday strength — MPC recently closed higher in a session where broader markets fell, indicating episodic demand for the name on company-specific news. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are split on 2026 outlooks: the analyst fair value moved slightly to $202.50, but firms are issuing both raises and trims, creating mixed expectations for forward upside. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro and geopolitical uncertainty (Middle East tensions, central-bank decisions) could push oil and refining margins around, producing volatility but unclear directional impact. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Longer-term industry note — a planned new U.S. refinery in Brownsville could alter supply dynamics over years, but it is not an immediate driver for MPC fundamentals. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by director Ricky D. Hessling: two recent sales (1,810 shares at ~$224.78 on Mar 11 and 1,037 shares at ~$229.08 on Mar 12) reduced his stake materially — such disclosures often pressure sentiment even when sales are routine. SEC filing: SEC Filing

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Alberta Investment Management Corp purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the 3rd quarter worth $2,891,000. First Interstate Bank purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter valued at about $5,050,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR grew its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 36.8% during the third quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 41,225 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $7,946,000 after purchasing an additional 11,082 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service increased its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 1.7% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 849,268 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $163,688,000 after purchasing an additional 14,308 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Journey Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 634.9% in the third quarter. Journey Advisory Group LLC now owns 55,073 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $10,615,000 after buying an additional 47,579 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $66.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.69. The business has a 50 day moving average of $193.11 and a 200 day moving average of $188.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27.

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

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

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

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.