Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Given New $320.00 Price Target at TD Cowen

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) had its price objective boosted by investment analysts at TD Cowen from $299.00 to $320.00 in a report issued on Wednesday. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. TD Cowen’s target price points to a potential upside of 22.82% from the stock’s previous close.

MPC has been the subject of several other reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $213.00 to $217.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $197.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Zacks Research raised shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $210.00 to $243.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $184.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $243.13.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Shares of MPC opened at $260.55 on Wednesday. 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 has a twelve month low of $141.91 and a twelve month high of $261.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.52, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a 50 day moving average of $227.27 and a 200-day moving average of $200.13.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.91. The business had revenue of $34.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $33.42 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.24) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Marathon Petroleum will post 26.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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 transaction, the insider directly owned 10,188 shares in the company, valued at $2,290,058.64. The trade was a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 4,473 shares of company stock worth $1,015,428 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth approximately $472,312,000. Capital Wealth Planning LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,495,097 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 3,816.8% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,306,749 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $212,517,000 after purchasing an additional 1,273,386 shares during the last quarter. GHE LLC boosted its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 1,939.8% in the 1st quarter. GHE LLC now owns 649,542 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $158,605,000 after purchasing an additional 617,699 shares during the period. Finally, Man Group plc boosted its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 2,175.0% in the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 568,790 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $92,502,000 after purchasing an additional 543,788 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Marathon Petroleum

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results materially beat expectations — adjusted EPS of $1.65 vs. consensus ~ $0.72 and revenue of $34.2B, driven by stronger refining performance. This is the principal catalyst for the rally. Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Tops Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management announced an incremental $5 billion share-repurchase authorization and returned ~$ $1.0B of capital in the quarter — increases cash return to shareholders and supports valuation multiples. Marathon Petroleum Corp. Reports First-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Refining tailwinds: management cited tighter global refined-product supply (Middle East conflict) and expanding crack spreads, lifting margins and refining earnings. That macro driver is benefiting refiners like MPC today. Marathon Petroleum first-quarter profit beats estimates on refining margin boost
• Positive Sentiment: Operational strength and high utilization guidance: company outlined ~94% expected Q2 utilization and progress on projects (Garyville online, El Paso and Robinson upgrades) supporting near-term throughput and margins. Marathon Petroleum outlines 94% Q2 utilization and adds $5B buyback authorization amid 12.5% MPLX distribution growth target
• Positive Sentiment: Strong cash generation: cash from operations ~ $1.1B while executing turnarounds (~40% of planned), giving confidence in funding growth and returns. Marathon Petroleum Corp. Reports First-Quarter 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media coverage is broadly positive on refining fundamentals and MPC’s value case; several pieces frame MPC as a beneficiary of the current refining cycle. Here’s Why Marathon Petroleum (MPC) is a Strong Value Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call/transcripts and analyst write-ups provide detail on operations and guidance for investors who want to dig into assumptions and cadence. Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Key risk — MPC’s near-term earnings are sensitive to refining margins and geopolitical-driven supply disruptions; if supply normalizes or margins compress, results and sentiment could reverse. (See sector commentary on margin drivers.) Pain At The Pump: Top Energy Stocks To Buy Now As Gas Prices Surge 40%

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.