Wells Fargo & Company Boosts Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Price Target to $335.00

Key Points

• Wells Fargo raised its price target on Marathon Petroleum to $335, implying roughly a 32% upside and maintaining an "overweight" rating.
• Marathon materially beat Q1 estimates—adjusted EPS of $1.65 vs. ~$0.74 consensus and revenue of $34.2B—generated $1.1B cash from operations, and the board authorized a $5B share buyback while reiterating MPLX distribution growth targets.
• Multiple analysts (TD Cowen, Raymond James, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, others) have lifted targets recently, leaving MarketBeat's average analyst target at $253 with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy."

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) had its target price raised by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company to $335.00 in a research report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "overweight" rating on the oil and gas company's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's target price would suggest a potential upside of 32.06% from the stock's current price.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Zacks Research raised Marathon Petroleum from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Raymond James Financial raised their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $210.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Marathon Petroleum from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $200.00 to $233.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $239.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $253.00.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Down 2.6%

NYSE MPC opened at $253.68 on Wednesday. Marathon Petroleum has a 52-week low of $142.73 and a 52-week high of $261.61. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $227.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $200.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $74.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.04, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.91. The company had revenue of $34.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $33.42 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 2.99%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.24) EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum will post 26.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marathon Petroleum 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 value of $371,020.68. Following the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In the last three months, insiders sold 4,473 shares of company stock worth $1,015,428. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MPC. Equitable Trust Co. grew its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 2,637 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $644,000 after buying an additional 42 shares during the period. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 1.6% during the 1st quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 3,220 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $786,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV increased its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV now owns 2,050 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $333,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. IFG Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. IFG Advisory LLC now owns 3,429 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $558,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the period. Finally, Associated Banc Corp grew its position in Marathon Petroleum by 2.1% during the third quarter. Associated Banc Corp now owns 2,475 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $477,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.77% of the company's stock.

Key Marathon Petroleum News

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

• Positive Sentiment: TD Cowen raised its price target on Marathon to $320 and assigned a "buy" rating, implying roughly +22.8% upside from the cited reference price — a fresh analyst endorsement that can attract incremental demand from institutional investors.
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results materially beat expectations: adjusted EPS $1.65 vs. consensus ~ $0.74–$1.09 and revenue $34.2B. Management reported $1.1B cash from operations and returned $1.0B of capital in the quarter — signaling strong cash generation and capital discipline. PR Newswire: Q1 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Board authorized an incremental $5B share-repurchase program and reiterated MPLX growth supporting a 12.5% distribution growth target — both actions are shareholder-friendly and reduce forward float, supporting the stock. (See company release and earnings coverage.) Seeking Alpha: Buyback & Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Refining margins widened due to tighter global refined‑product supply following Middle East disruptions, boosting near‑term profitability for refiners like Marathon — a key driver of the quarter’s upside. Reuters: Margin Boost
• Positive Sentiment: Operational outlook: management outlined ~94% Q2 refinery utilization and progress on growth projects (Garyville jet online; other upgrades on track), supporting sustained earnings. Seeking Alpha: Utilization & Projects
• Positive Sentiment: Macro/sector tailwind: energy/refining names are rallying and MPC was cited among stocks trading near 52‑week highs — momentum can amplify the stock move as quant and momentum funds participate. Yahoo: Near 52‑Week Highs
• Neutral Sentiment: For detail: full Q1 earnings call transcript and multiple call summaries are available for investors wanting line‑by‑line commentary on margins, capex, MPLX strategy and capital returns. Seeking Alpha: Call Transcript TipRanks: Call Highlights

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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