Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Reaches New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• Marathon Petroleum reached a new 52-week high after Mizuho raised its price target from $284 to $304, although it maintained a neutral rating. The stock’s consensus rating remains “Moderate Buy,” with an average target of $312.50.
• Strong refining performance drove a major earnings beat: MPC reported quarterly EPS of $17.73 versus a consensus estimate of $14.27, while revenue rose 53.5% year over year to $51.99 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share, or $4.00 annualized, representing a 1.2% yield. Separately, a company vice president sold 6,336 shares, reducing his position by 27.27%.

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report)'s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday after Mizuho raised their price target on the stock from $284.00 to $304.00. Mizuho currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Marathon Petroleum traded as high as $328.13 and last traded at $330.0180, with a volume of 412560 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $320.32.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a report on Friday, June 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $235.00 to $257.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays upped their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $289.00 to $321.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 6th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $357.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Marathon Petroleum from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marathon Petroleum presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $312.50.

Insider Activity at Marathon Petroleum

In other news, VP Michael A. Henschen II sold 6,336 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.82, for a total transaction of $1,703,243.52. Following the sale, the vice president owned 16,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,543,058. This trade represents a 27.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Marathon Petroleum

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong Q2 earnings beat: Marathon Petroleum reported second-quarter 2026 earnings of $17.73 per share, up 347.7% year over year and well above the $14.52 consensus estimate. The results were driven primarily by significantly stronger Refining & Marketing performance and refining margins. Management expects third-quarter crude throughput of 2.82 million barrels per day and total refinery throughput of 3.005 million barrels per day. Marathon Petroleum Q2 Earnings Beat on Strong Refining Margins
• Positive Sentiment: Refining and midstream momentum: Recent coverage says MPC’s advance has fundamental support from stronger refining economics, disciplined operations and rising midstream cash flow. The stock has gained 18.1% over the past three months, suggesting investors are rewarding the improving earnings outlook. MPC Jumps 18.1% in 3 Months as Refining Strength Builds Momentum
• Positive Sentiment: Growth-oriented commentary remains favorable: Articles highlight above-average financial growth and bullish Wall Street views as reasons investors may continue to consider MPC. However, these conclusions are based largely on existing analyst estimates and should be weighed against valuation and cyclical refining risks. 3 Reasons Growth Investors Will Love Marathon Petroleum
• Negative Sentiment: Mizuho remains cautious: Mizuho raised its price target from $284 to $304 but maintained a neutral rating. The revised target remains below the current $318.79 price, indicating that the analyst believes much of the recent refining optimism may already be reflected in MPC’s valuation. Mizuho Raises Marathon Petroleum Price Target

Institutional Trading of Marathon Petroleum

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter valued at $6,648,958,000. State Street Corp lifted its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 17,934,327 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,916,660,000 after purchasing an additional 47,896 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners lifted its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 2.3% in the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 6,305,428 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,214,522,000 after purchasing an additional 141,691 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the second quarter valued at about $1,029,611,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter valued at about $472,312,000. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company's stock.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $280.59 and a 200 day moving average price of $243.30. The stock has a market cap of $96.03 billion, a PE ratio of 11.30, a P/E/G ratio of 0.19 and a beta of 0.52.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The oil and gas company reported $17.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $14.27 by $3.46. The company had revenue of $51.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $40.87 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 31.96% and a net margin of 5.48%.Marathon Petroleum's quarterly revenue was up 53.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.96 EPS. Analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 46.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 19th will be issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 19th. Marathon Petroleum's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.75%.

About Marathon Petroleum

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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