Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) Sees Significant Drop in Short Interest

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) saw a large decrease in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 6,803,010 shares, a decrease of 15.4% from the March 15th total of 8,038,630 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 3,094,852 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.2 days. Currently, 2.3% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Shares of MPC opened at $213.37 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $221.31 and a 200-day moving average of $197.03. Marathon Petroleum has a 1 year low of $124.00 and a 1 year high of $255.77. The company has a market capitalization of $62.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The oil and gas company reported $4.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.34. The business had revenue of $32.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.89 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.77 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 18th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.96%.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In other Marathon Petroleum news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,810 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.78, for a total transaction of $406,851.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 10,188 shares in the company, valued at $2,290,058.64. The trade was a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders have sold 4,473 shares of company stock valued at $1,015,428 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MPC. Navalign LLC bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the second quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. 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: Marathon and its MLP MPLX arranged new multi‑billion dollar unsecured revolving credit facilities that extend committed liquidity to 2031, reducing near‑term refinancing risk and supporting cash flow flexibility. Marathon Petroleum Extends Liquidity To 2031 With New Credit Lines
• Positive Sentiment: An analyst price‑target raise to $279 and a cluster of bullish targets/overweight ratings in recent months signal continued analyst confidence in MPC’s cash generation and long‑term outlook. Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Price Target Raised to $279.00
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are reassessing MPC’s valuation after strong recent returns (roughly +29% over 3 months); that momentum has pushed attention on whether current price already reflects near‑term margin risk. Assessing Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Valuation After Recent Share Price Momentum
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage highlighting MPC as a long‑term value/income idea underscores the company’s dividend and cashflow narrative, but these thematic pieces are less likely to move the stock near term versus operational and macro inputs. Why Marathon Petroleum (MPC) is a Top Value Stock for the Long-Term
• Negative Sentiment: Sector‑wide pullback in refining stocks is pressuring MPC as gasoline futures have softened and investors trim exposure to narrowing product cracks; this is a primary contributor to today’s decline. Marathon Petroleum (MPC) slides 4.9% as refining stocks pull back amid shifting fuel-price and operations outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Operational volatility: scheduled maintenance at the Robinson, IL refinery (mid‑March start; some units offline into mid‑May) plus a recent FCCU upset at the Galveston Bay refinery can dent near‑term throughput and margin capture. The same QuiverQuant piece also flags insider selling and large institutional position reductions, which can heighten downward pressure. Marathon Petroleum (MPC) slides 4.9% as refining stocks pull back amid shifting fuel-price and operations outlook

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MPC. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $239.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $184.00 to $235.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. UBS Group upped their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $221.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $263.00 to $279.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $210.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $237.50.

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.