Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Upgraded by Dbs Bank to Moderate Buy Rating

Key Points

• Marathon Petroleum's stock was upgraded by Dbs Bank to a "moderate buy" rating, highlighting increasing analyst confidence in the company.
• Multiple research firms have raised their target prices for Marathon Petroleum, with Citigroup setting a new target of $182.00 and Wells Fargo increasing theirs to $205.00.
• The stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a target price of $183.93, with 76.77% of the stock owned by institutional investors.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) was upgraded by analysts at Dbs Bank to a "moderate buy" rating in a research report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Wolfe Research lowered shares of Marathon Petroleum from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $144.00 to $182.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Mizuho increased their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $160.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. They issued an "in-line" rating and a $170.00 price objective on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $183.93.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Down 2.8%

MPC traded down $4.72 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $165.47. 1,385,293 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,970,498. Marathon Petroleum has a 1-year low of $115.10 and a 1-year high of $183.10. The stock's 50-day moving average is $168.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $153.27. The stock has a market cap of $50.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.27, a PEG ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The oil and gas company reported ($0.24) earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $31.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.91 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.58 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In other Marathon Petroleum news, Director Kim K.W. Rucker sold 7,392 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the director directly owned 18,944 shares in the company, valued at $3,315,200. This represents a 28.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.21% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MPC. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Activest Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 290.2% in the 2nd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 1,546.2% in the 1st quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 214 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.