Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Price Target Raised to $320.00 at TD Cowen

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) had its target price raised by equities researchers at TD Cowen from $299.00 to $320.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. TD Cowen’s price target points to a potential upside of 22.82% from the stock’s current price.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on MPC. Raymond James Financial raised their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $210.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 25th. Citigroup boosted their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $210.00 to $243.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $221.00 to $280.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Zacks Research raised shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $174.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Marathon Petroleum presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $243.13.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Shares of Marathon Petroleum stock opened at $260.55 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.53. Marathon Petroleum has a twelve month low of $141.91 and a twelve month high of $261.61. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $227.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $200.13.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.91. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The firm had revenue of $34.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $33.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted ($0.24) EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that Marathon Petroleum will post 26.3 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Petroleum

In other news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,626 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.18, for a total value of $371,020.68. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,525 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,717,054.50. This trade represents a 17.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,473 shares of company stock valued at $1,015,428. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Marathon Petroleum

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth $472,312,000. Capital Wealth Planning LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 49,392.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 1,498,124 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $245,157,000 after acquiring an additional 1,495,097 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 3,816.8% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,306,749 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $212,517,000 after acquiring an additional 1,273,386 shares in the last quarter. GHE LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 1,939.8% during the 1st quarter. GHE LLC now owns 649,542 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $158,605,000 after acquiring an additional 617,699 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc grew its position in Marathon Petroleum by 2,175.0% during the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 568,790 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $92,502,000 after acquiring an additional 543,788 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results materially beat expectations — adjusted EPS of $1.65 vs. consensus ~ $0.72 and revenue of $34.2B, driven by stronger refining performance. This is the principal catalyst for the rally. Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Tops Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management announced an incremental $5 billion share-repurchase authorization and returned ~$ $1.0B of capital in the quarter — increases cash return to shareholders and supports valuation multiples. Marathon Petroleum Corp. Reports First-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Refining tailwinds: management cited tighter global refined-product supply (Middle East conflict) and expanding crack spreads, lifting margins and refining earnings. That macro driver is benefiting refiners like MPC today. Marathon Petroleum first-quarter profit beats estimates on refining margin boost
• Positive Sentiment: Operational strength and high utilization guidance: company outlined ~94% expected Q2 utilization and progress on projects (Garyville online, El Paso and Robinson upgrades) supporting near-term throughput and margins. Marathon Petroleum outlines 94% Q2 utilization and adds $5B buyback authorization amid 12.5% MPLX distribution growth target
• Positive Sentiment: Strong cash generation: cash from operations ~ $1.1B while executing turnarounds (~40% of planned), giving confidence in funding growth and returns. Marathon Petroleum Corp. Reports First-Quarter 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media coverage is broadly positive on refining fundamentals and MPC’s value case; several pieces frame MPC as a beneficiary of the current refining cycle. Here’s Why Marathon Petroleum (MPC) is a Strong Value Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call/transcripts and analyst write-ups provide detail on operations and guidance for investors who want to dig into assumptions and cadence. Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Key risk — MPC’s near-term earnings are sensitive to refining margins and geopolitical-driven supply disruptions; if supply normalizes or margins compress, results and sentiment could reverse. (See sector commentary on margin drivers.) Pain At The Pump: Top Energy Stocks To Buy Now As Gas Prices Surge 40%

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.