Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Analyst consensus: Nineteen research firms rate Marathon Petroleum an average of "Moderate Buy" (10 buys, 8 holds, 1 strong buy) with a one-year average price target of $241.81.
• Marathon reported quarterly EPS of $4.07, beating estimates of $3.73, with revenue of $32.57B versus $30.89B; analysts forecast FY EPS of 23.42 and the stock trades at a P/E of 16.79 (market cap $66.02B).
• Insiders have sold 4,473 shares (~$1.02M) over the past three months, including Ricky D. Hessling's sale of 1,810 shares at $224.78, while the company pays a $1.00 quarterly dividend ($4.00 annual, ~1.8% yield).

Shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the nineteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $241.8125.

A number of analysts have issued reports on MPC shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $184.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $210.00 to $243.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $213.00 to $217.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $197.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th.

Insider Activity at Marathon Petroleum

In other Marathon Petroleum news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,810 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction on 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 directly 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 filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 4,473 shares of company stock valued at $1,015,428. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 7.8% in the 1st quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 976 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $238,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 0.9% in the 1st quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 9,656 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,358,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 1st quarter worth $262,000. Balentine LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 1st quarter worth $285,000. Finally, Fulton Bank N.A. grew its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 9,974 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,435,000 after buying an additional 204 shares in the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MPC opened at $224.19 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.26. The company has a market cap of $66.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.79, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.58. The firm's fifty day moving average is $222.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $197.96. Marathon Petroleum has a 52-week low of $133.00 and a 52-week high of $255.77.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $32.57 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.77 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum will post 23.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders 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%.

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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