Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• Marathon Petroleum has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from 19 research firms, with an average 12-month price target of about $272.94. Recent broker actions were mostly positive, including higher targets from Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo.
• The company reported strong quarterly results, beating expectations with EPS of $1.65 versus $0.74 expected and revenue of $34.2 billion versus $33.42 billion estimated. Revenue rose 8.5% year over year, and analysts now expect full-year EPS of 31.05.
• Marathon Petroleum also paid a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share, equal to an annualized yield of about 1.5%. Meanwhile, institutional ownership remains high at 76.77%, though an insider sale by a vice president trimmed that position by 27.27%.

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the nineteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $272.9375.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MPC. Bank of America boosted their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $224.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Marathon Petroleum from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, May 10th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $243.00 to $257.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $264.00 to $291.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $233.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In other Marathon Petroleum news, VP Michael A. Henschen II sold 6,336 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.82, for a total transaction of $1,703,243.52. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 16,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,543,058. The trade was a 27.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MPC. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 30.9% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,988 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $696,000 after acquiring an additional 1,178 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP lifted its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 38.3% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 26,697 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $3,889,000 after buying an additional 7,396 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 26.6% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,221 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $369,000 after buying an additional 466 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $8,505,000. Finally, AXA S.A. lifted its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 46.7% in the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 39,675 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $6,590,000 after buying an additional 12,639 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.77% of the company's stock.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Up 0.9%

MPC opened at $263.10 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.52. Marathon Petroleum has a one year low of $158.00 and a one year high of $272.46. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $244.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $212.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.18.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.91. The firm had revenue of $34.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $33.42 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 16.22% and a net margin of 3.36%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.24) EPS. Analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum will post 31.05 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Marathon Petroleum's payout ratio is presently 26.11%.

More Marathon Petroleum News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Marathon Petroleum was added to the Dow Jones Best-in-Class Indices after earning a top-quartile ESG score in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, which can support demand from sustainability-focused investors. Marathon Petroleum Named to Dow Jones Best-in-Class Indices
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on MPC to $344 from $335, signaling continued analyst confidence and implying meaningful upside from current levels. Wells Fargo adjusts Marathon Petroleum price target
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks added MPC to its Rank #1 (Strong Buy) growth stocks list, reinforcing the view that the company remains attractive for growth and momentum investors. Best Growth Stocks to Buy for June 12th
• Positive Sentiment: Another Zacks note highlighted MPC as a strong momentum stock, which may be helping traders bid the shares higher in the near term. What Makes Marathon Petroleum (MPC) a Strong Momentum Stock: Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor commentary across several articles argued that MPC screens as a potentially attractive buy based on valuation and refining fundamentals, but these pieces were opinion-driven rather than new company-specific announcements. Is Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) A Good Stock To Buy Now?

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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