Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC Shares Sold by D.A. Davidson & CO.

Key Points

• Major institutional shifts: D.A. Davidson cut its Marathon Petroleum stake by 17.3% to 32,089 shares (~$5.22M) while Assenagon added heavily (up 332.4% to 320,499 shares, ~$52.1M); insiders have also sold 4,473 shares in the past 90 days, a potential sign of distribution.
• Wall Street sentiment lifted: Several analysts raised price targets (UBS to $280, JPMorgan to $235, Barclays to $230), leaving a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” with a target around $241.81.
• Solid results and shareholder returns: The company beat recent quarterly EPS estimates ($4.07 vs. $3.73) and declared a $1.00 quarterly dividend (annualized $4.00, yield ~1.7%, payout ratio ~30%), supported by tightening fuel inventories that should boost refining margins.

D.A. Davidson & CO. reduced its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) by 17.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 32,089 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 6,714 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.'s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $5,219,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MPC. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 332.4% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 320,499 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $52,123,000 after acquiring an additional 246,384 shares in the last quarter. Merewether Investment Management LP acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the 2nd quarter worth $35,548,000. Amundi grew its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 11.8% during the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 1,626,862 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $314,830,000 after acquiring an additional 172,172 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 6,305,428 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,214,522,000 after acquiring an additional 141,691 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Credit Agricole S A acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter worth $20,370,000. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In other Marathon Petroleum news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,810 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.78, for a total transaction of $406,851.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 10,188 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,290,058.64. The trade was a 15.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,473 shares of company stock worth $1,015,428. Insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on MPC shares. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $221.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $184.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $194.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marathon Petroleum presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $241.81.

More Marathon Petroleum News

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

• Positive Sentiment: U.S. inventory data showed large weekly draws in gasoline and distillates and a drop in crude, tightening supply and pushing spot fuel prices higher—an outcome that typically improves crack spreads and the near-term margin outlook for large refiners like MPC. Marathon Petroleum jumps 5% as big gasoline draw tightens supplies and boosts refining-margin outlook
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share (payable June 10; record date May 20), reinforcing MPC’s cash-return profile—a support for income-focused and total-return investors. Marathon Petroleum Corp. Announces Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks and other stock screens have recently flagged MPC as a momentum/strong-buy candidate and included it on lists of undervalued PEG stocks, which can attract flows from momentum and value-rotation investors. This attention helps liquidity and can amplify moves ahead of earnings. 3 Undervalued PEG Stocks With Double-Digit Growth to Buy Now
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank has raised its multi-year EPS forecasts for MPC, signaling that some sell‑side analysts are modeling stronger earnings power—supportive for expectations heading into the next report. MarketBeat MPC page (Scotiabank estimate note)
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation-focused writeups are debating whether the recent share run already reflects intrinsic value (DCF) or leaves a gap—useful for longer-term investors but less likely to move price immediately than near-term fundamentals or cash returns. Is Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Pricing Reflect Recent Share Surge And DCF-Based Value Gap
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming earnings (MPC reports in early May) remain the primary near-term catalyst—market positioning and analyst estimates mean the report could cause volatility in either direction. Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?
• Negative Sentiment: QuiverQuant flags recent insider selling (six open‑market sales, zero purchases) and large institutional position changes noted in filings—signals investors watch as potential selling pressure or distribution by big holders. That activity can cap upside if it accelerates. Marathon Petroleum jumps 5% as big gasoline draw tightens supplies and boosts refining-margin outlook (insider/institutional notes)

Marathon Petroleum Trading Up 3.9%

Marathon Petroleum stock opened at $241.75 on Thursday. The firm's 50-day moving average is $224.95 and its 200-day moving average is $199.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.26. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 1 year low of $133.00 and a 1 year high of $255.77. The company has a market cap of $71.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.11, a PEG ratio of 0.34 and a beta of 0.58.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The oil and gas company reported $4.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.34. The firm had revenue of $32.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.89 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 13.90%. Marathon Petroleum's revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.77 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 25.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 20th. Marathon Petroleum's payout ratio is presently 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.

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