FORA Capital LLC Purchases New Stake in Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC

Key Points

• FORA Capital opened a new position in Marathon Petroleum (MPC) in Q3, buying 9,851 shares worth about $1.90 million, while hedge funds and other institutional investors now own roughly 76.77% of the company.
• MPC beat Q4 expectations with adjusted EPS of $4.07 (vs. $3.73 est.) and revenue of $32.57 billion, and recently paid a quarterly dividend of $1.00 (annualized $4.00, yield ~1.8%).
• Insider selling by director Ricky D. Hessling in March — including a disclosed sale that cut his holding by about 10.18% — may weigh on sentiment despite recent analyst upgrades and positive results.

FORA Capital LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 9,851 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $1,899,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Associated Banc Corp lifted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 2.1% in the third quarter. Associated Banc Corp now owns 2,475 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $477,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its position in Marathon Petroleum by 2.6% during the third quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 2,363 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $456,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. CI Investments Inc. increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. CI Investments Inc. now owns 3,336 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $643,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Marathon Petroleum by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,944 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $760,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Warwick Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Marathon Petroleum by 4.6% in the 3rd quarter. Warwick Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,436 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $277,000 after buying an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.77% of the company's stock.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Down 1.7%

MPC stock opened at $226.06 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $66.63 billion, a PE ratio of 16.93, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.69. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 1 year low of $115.10 and a 1 year high of $236.10. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $193.11 and a 200 day simple moving average of $188.14. 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 (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The oil and gas company reported $4.07 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.34. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The firm had revenue of $32.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.89 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.77 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 18th were paid a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 18th. Marathon Petroleum's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.96%.

Key Marathon Petroleum News

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MPC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. 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. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Raymond James Financial upped their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $205.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Scotiabank reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $174.00 price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a report on Friday, January 16th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $204.25.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marathon Petroleum news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,037 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $229.08, for a total transaction of $237,555.96. Following the transaction, the insider owned 9,151 shares in the company, valued at $2,096,311.08. This trade represents a 10.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

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.

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