Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $269.07 Million Holdings in Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC

Key Points

• Principal Financial Group reduced its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 12.3%, selling 232,376 shares and ending the quarter with 1,654,472 shares valued at about $269.07 million.
• Marathon posted a strong Q1 beat with $1.65 EPS (vs. ~$0.74 consensus) and $34.2B revenue$5 billion share-repurchase authorization and returned roughly $1 billion of capital in the quarter.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.00 (annualized $4.00, ~1.5% yield) and has seen mostly positive analyst action with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target near $241.81.

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) by 12.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,654,472 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 232,376 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.55% of Marathon Petroleum worth $269,067,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter worth about $39,000. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Marathon Petroleum

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

Marathon Petroleum Stock Up 3.2%

NYSE:MPC opened at $260.55 on Wednesday. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a twelve month low of $141.91 and a twelve month high of $261.61. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $227.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $200.13.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.91. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 2.99%.The company had revenue of $34.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $33.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.24) EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 26.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Marathon Petroleum's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MPC has been the subject of several research reports. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Marathon Petroleum from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. UBS Group boosted their price objective 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. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $194.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $184.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $239.00 to $264.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. 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's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $241.81.

Key Headlines Impacting 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 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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