Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Rating Lowered to "Buy" at Wall Street Zen

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen downgraded Marathon Petroleum from "strong-buy" to "buy," while the consensus across analysts is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $232.88 and notable raises from firms like Goldman Sachs (to $264) and Barclays (to $230).
• Quarterly results topped estimates: Marathon reported $4.07 EPS versus a $3.73 consensus and revenue of $32.57 billion (vs. $30.89B expected), and analysts forecast about 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• Insider selling was recorded (Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,626 shares at ~$228), with insiders offloading 4,473 shares in the last 90 days, even as institutional ownership remains high at about 76.8%.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

MPC has been the topic of several other research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $216.00 to $205.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $197.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday. Raymond James Financial boosted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $210.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $230.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $232.88.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of MPC stock opened at $222.85 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $65.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.69, a PEG ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.58. Marathon Petroleum has a 52 week low of $117.74 and a 52 week high of $255.77. 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 company's fifty day simple moving average is $218.24 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $196.05.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.34. The business had revenue of $32.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $30.89 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The business's quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.77 EPS. Analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,626 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.18, for a total transaction of $371,020.68. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,525 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,717,054.50. This represents a 17.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,473 shares of company stock worth $1,015,428. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 17,934,327 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $2,916,660,000 after purchasing an additional 47,896 shares during 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 valued at $1,214,522,000 after purchasing an additional 141,691 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at about $472,312,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,818,361 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $458,350,000 after purchasing an additional 11,693 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,600,191 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $422,869,000 after purchasing an additional 67,600 shares during the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Marathon Petroleum News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $264 and maintained a Buy — the largest, most bullish lift this week and a clear catalyst for upside re-rating. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays moved its target to $230 and kept an Overweight — another institutional vote that supports further multiple expansion. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded MPC from Hold to Strong-Buy, adding short-term positive sentiment from retail-focused research. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage piece notes upgraded earnings views, stronger refiner margins with higher oil, and an active buyback program — a fundamental case supporting a higher forward valuation. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its target to $243 but kept a Neutral rating — signals upside but tempered conviction. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan and Piper Sandler both lifted targets (to $235 and $228 respectively) while keeping Neutral ratings — modestly constructive but not strong buy-side conviction. JPMorgan Article Piper Article
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the bullish analyst activity, MPC experienced a sharp intraday drop on April 8 (roughly a 5.5% decline) — a reminder of near-term volatility and possible profit-taking after the recent run-up. Article Title

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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