Jefferies Financial Group Issues Positive Forecast for Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Stock Price

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) had its target price raised by Jefferies Financial Group from $279.00 to $296.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 15.05% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other research firms have also commented on MPC. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $174.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $243.00 to $257.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $224.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $264.75.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

NYSE MPC traded up $2.64 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $257.29. 291,993 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,475,241. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.79, a PEG ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 0.53. Marathon Petroleum has a 12-month low of $155.93 and a 12-month high of $264.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.18. The business has a 50 day moving average of $238.83 and a 200-day moving average of $206.18.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $34.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $33.42 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 16.22% and a net margin of 3.36%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.24) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum will post 29.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,626 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.18, for a total transaction of $371,020.68. Following the transaction, the insider owned 7,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,717,054.50. This trade represents a 17.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,473 shares of company stock valued at $1,015,428. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MPC. Equitable Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 2,637 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $644,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Marathon Petroleum by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,548 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,411,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Grp LLC increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 9.6% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Grp LLC now owns 516 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $126,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Marathon Petroleum by 1.6% in the first quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 3,220 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $786,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV boosted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,050 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $333,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.