Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Stock Price Up 2.8% – Should You Buy?

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC)’s share price traded up 2.8% on Monday. The stock traded as high as $478.37 and last traded at $470.0170. Approximately 1,454,698 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 41% from the average session volume of 2,462,566 shares. The stock had previously closed at $457.22.

Trending Headlines about Marathon Petroleum

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

• Positive Sentiment: Refining fundamentals remain supportive. Strong refining margins, firm fuel demand and relatively tight gasoline markets are improving the outlook for refiners, including MPC. Zacks Industry Outlook Highlights Marathon Petroleum, PBF Energy and Phillips 66
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and momentum screens remain constructive. Rising earnings estimates, strong shareholder returns and MPC’s recent share-price momentum have kept the company among favored refining and momentum stocks. Zacks also listed MPC as one of its top refining and marketing picks. MPC Stock Gains on Refining Strength
• Positive Sentiment: A reported consensus price target rose substantially. One report cited a 30.67% increase in the consensus target, potentially reinforcing bullish sentiment, although the quoted target is presented in Mexican pesos and may not be directly comparable with U.S. analyst targets. Consensus price target for Marathon Petroleum increased
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are positioning for earnings. MPC’s November 3 report is the next major catalyst. The company has recently delivered strong results, but upcoming earnings expectations could produce significant volatility. Marathon Petroleum slides ahead of earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Sector-wide profit-taking is a key risk. Refiners recently experienced a severe selloff despite Valero reporting a record quarter, suggesting investors may be reducing exposure after a strong rally and reassessing fuel margins, crude prices and earnings sustainability. Refiner Stocks Just Had Their Worst Day Since the Tariff Shock
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and earnings-beat concerns weigh on sentiment. Reported MPC insider transactions showed sales but no purchases over the past six months, while a Zacks analysis said the company may lack the indicators typically associated with an earnings beat. Marathon Petroleum Earnings Expected to Grow

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MPC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group set a $510.00 price objective on Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Friday, October 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $376.00 to $472.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. Barclays increased their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $321.00 to $488.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Evercore set a $330.00 price target on Marathon Petroleum in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $450.00 to $478.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marathon Petroleum currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $424.31.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Up 1.0%

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $413.17 and its 200-day moving average price is $285.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The stock has a market cap of $128.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.13, a P/E/G ratio of 0.12 and a beta of 0.54.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The oil and gas company reported $17.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $14.27 by $3.46. The company had revenue of $51.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $40.87 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 5.48% and a return on equity of 31.96%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 53.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.96 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 64.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Molly Benson sold 17,196 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.57, for a total transaction of $6,165,969.72. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 30,334 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,876,862.38. This represents a 36.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Shawn Lyon sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $375.75, for a total value of $375,750.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 11,194 shares in the company, valued at $4,206,145.50. This trade represents a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 21,691 shares of company stock valued at $7,780,127. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter worth approximately $6,648,958,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,029,611,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the second quarter valued at approximately $621,832,000. Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter worth approximately $380,745,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter worth approximately $280,761,000. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum Company Profile

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) is an American downstream energy company engaged in refining, marketing, and transporting petroleum products. Its operations include converting crude oil into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt, propane, and other refined products used by transportation, industrial, and commercial customers.

The company markets fuel under the Marathon brand and supplies products to independent marketers, commercial businesses, and other wholesale customers. Marathon Petroleum also owns a general-partner interest and significant limited-partner interest in MPLX Inc, a midstream company that operates pipelines, storage facilities, terminals, and gathering and processing assets supporting the movement of crude oil and natural gas liquids.

Marathon Petroleum’s refining and midstream activities are concentrated in the United States, with assets serving regions across the Midwest, Gulf Coast, and West Coast.