Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Price Target Raised to $335.00 at Wells Fargo & Company

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) had its price target raised by investment analysts at Wells Fargo & Company to $335.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target suggests a potential upside of 32.06% from the company’s current price.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group increased 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. Zacks Research upgraded Marathon Petroleum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Marathon Petroleum from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $253.00.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of NYSE:MPC opened at $253.68 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $74.71 billion, a PE ratio of 19.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $227.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $200.13. 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 $142.73 and a 12-month high of $261.61.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.91. The firm had revenue of $34.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.24) EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum will post 26.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,810 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders sold a total of 4,473 shares of company stock valued at $1,015,428 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Marathon Petroleum

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Navalign LLC bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC raised its position in Marathon Petroleum by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Marathon Petroleum News

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target on Marathon to $320 and assigned a “buy” rating, implying roughly +22.8% upside from the cited reference price — a fresh analyst endorsement that can attract incremental demand from institutional investors.
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results materially beat expectations: adjusted EPS $1.65 vs. consensus ~ $0.74–$1.09 and revenue $34.2B. Management reported $1.1B cash from operations and returned $1.0B of capital in the quarter — signaling strong cash generation and capital discipline. PR Newswire: Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Board authorized an incremental $5B share-repurchase program and reiterated MPLX growth supporting a 12.5% distribution growth target — both actions are shareholder-friendly and reduce forward float, supporting the stock. (See company release and earnings coverage.) Seeking Alpha: Buyback & Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Refining margins widened due to tighter global refined‑product supply following Middle East disruptions, boosting near‑term profitability for refiners like Marathon — a key driver of the quarter’s upside. Reuters: Margin Boost
• Positive Sentiment: Operational outlook: management outlined ~94% Q2 refinery utilization and progress on growth projects (Garyville jet online; other upgrades on track), supporting sustained earnings. Seeking Alpha: Utilization & Projects
• Positive Sentiment: Macro/sector tailwind: energy/refining names are rallying and MPC was cited among stocks trading near 52‑week highs — momentum can amplify the stock move as quant and momentum funds participate. Yahoo: Near 52‑Week Highs
• Neutral Sentiment: For detail: full Q1 earnings call transcript and multiple call summaries are available for investors wanting line‑by‑line commentary on margins, capex, MPLX strategy and capital returns. Seeking Alpha: Call Transcript TipRanks: Call Highlights

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.