Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Stock Rating Lowered by Wall Street Zen

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) was downgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other analysts also recently commented on the company. Barclays upped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $194.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 10th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Marathon Petroleum from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, March 19th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $230.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $197.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $213.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $241.81.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of MPC opened at $246.77 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $226.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $199.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 1.26. The company has a market capitalization of $72.67 billion, a PE ratio of 18.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 0.53. Marathon Petroleum has a fifty-two week low of $137.30 and a fifty-two week high of $255.77.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The oil and gas company reported $4.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.34. The company had revenue of $32.57 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.89 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 2.99%.Marathon Petroleum’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.77 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Marathon Petroleum will post 26.3 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Institutional Trading of Marathon Petroleum

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp boosted its position 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 worth $2,916,660,000 after purchasing an additional 47,896 shares during the period. Boston Partners boosted its position 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 worth $1,214,522,000 after purchasing an additional 141,691 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter worth $472,312,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position 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 worth $458,350,000 after purchasing an additional 11,693 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its position 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 worth $422,869,000 after purchasing an additional 67,600 shares during the period. 76.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Marathon Petroleum

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and a higher near‑term earnings outlook have driven momentum and income appeal, cited as the primary reason for the recent surge in MPC shares. Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Is Up 12.3% After Analyst Upgrades And Dividend Declaration – What’s Changed
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a $1.00 quarterly dividend (record May 20, pay June 10), reinforcing cash-return policy and supporting yield-focused investor demand; the announcement accompanies an upgraded outlook in several writeups. Assessing Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Valuation After Dividend Declaration And Upgraded Earnings Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Market research firm coverage boosted sentiment—MPC made Zacks’ Rank #1 (Strong Buy) growth list, which can attract momentum and quant-driven flows. Best Growth Stocks to Buy for May 1st
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and previews are focusing on Q1 drivers—strong refining margins and utilization could help results, but details will matter. Investors should watch reported margins, renewables and midstream segments for nuance. What’s in the Offing for Marathon Petroleum in Q1 Earnings?
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation analysis pieces discuss whether the recent share gains are pricing in expected cash flows and DCF value—helpful for longer‑term allocation decisions but not an immediate catalyst. Is Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Pricing Reflect Recent Share Surge And DCF-Based Value Gap
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and “trending” coverage have amplified visibility; such coverage can reinforce flows but may fade after earnings. Marathon Petroleum Stock Is Trending Overnight: Here’s Why
• Negative Sentiment: Macro energy risks remain: a Bank of England note warned that a sustained energy shock could push inflation and rates higher—an outcome that could pressure demand and margins if oil dislocations persist. This is a tail risk for refiners. Bank of England sounds warning of interest rate hikes ahead

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.