UBS Group Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Stock

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) had its target price boosted by UBS Group from $175.00 to $203.00 in a research report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the oil and gas company's stock.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $170.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $152.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 10th. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $157.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Raymond James Financial reissued a "strong-buy" rating on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Monday, June 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $184.38.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

MPC traded down $2.45 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $179.81. The company had a trading volume of 4,388,192 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,718,024. The company has a market capitalization of $55.24 billion, a PE ratio of 25.29, a P/E/G ratio of 3.58 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.19. Marathon Petroleum has a twelve month low of $115.10 and a twelve month high of $183.49. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $163.74 and its 200-day simple moving average is $149.90.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The oil and gas company reported ($0.24) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.40) by $0.16. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 1.75% and a return on equity of 8.89%. The business had revenue of $31.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.91 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.58 EPS. Marathon Petroleum's quarterly revenue was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 21st were paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 21st. Marathon Petroleum's payout ratio is currently 51.20%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Kim K.W. Rucker sold 7,392 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction on Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total transaction of $1,293,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 18,944 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,315,200. This trade represents a 28.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.21% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MPC. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 1,546.2% in the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 214 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the period. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the first quarter worth $32,000. WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the first quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. grew its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 1,621.4% in the first quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 241 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company's stock.

Marathon Petroleum Company Profile

Marathon Petroleum Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated downstream energy company primarily in the United States. The company operates through Refining & Marketing, and Midstream segments. The Refining & Marketing segment refines crude oil and other feedstocks at its refineries in the Gulf Coast, Mid-Continent, and West Coast regions of the United States; and purchases refined products and ethanol for resale and distributes refined products, including renewable diesel, through transportation, storage, distribution, and marketing services.