Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Shares Down 1.3% – What’s Next?

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) was down 1.3% during mid-day trading on Friday. The company traded as low as $367.72 and last traded at $372.4770. Approximately 2,401,341 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 3% from the average session volume of 2,473,308 shares. The stock had previously closed at $377.32.

Marathon Petroleum News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Refining conditions may support MPC’s earnings: refinery outages, tight fuel inventories and cheaper heavy crude are cited as factors that could keep refining margins favorable and leave room for further upside. Article: 3 Refining Stocks That Have Doubled in 2026: What’s Next?
• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler raised its price target to $466 from $462 and maintained an Overweight rating, signaling continued analyst optimism. Article: Piper Sandler stock recommendations
• Neutral Sentiment: MPC’s $4.2 billion sale of its St. Paul Park and Mandan refineries and related marketing business is intended to fund a greater Gulf Coast focus, including investments to increase diesel output, crude throughput and premium gasoline exports. The strategic redirection could improve future returns, though results depend on how effectively the proceeds are reinvested. Article: Can MPC’s Gulf Coast Focus Fuel Stronger Future Refining Returns?
• Negative Sentiment: ETFs were reported as net sellers of MPC, with $20.1 million in shares sold on Wednesday. This may weigh on near-term sentiment, although the report also noted more ETFs buying than selling. Article: ETFs Are Net Sellers of Marathon Petroleum (MPC) on Wednesday

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on MPC. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 4th. UBS Group set a $510.00 price target on Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Friday, October 9th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $450.00 to $478.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Bank of America lifted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $410.00 to $426.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised Marathon Petroleum from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Marathon Petroleum presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $425.12.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average price of $421.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $294.36. The stock has a market cap of $101.42 billion, a PE ratio of 12.80, a P/E/G ratio of 0.10 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.45.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 3rd. The oil and gas company reported $26.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $25.37 by $1.56. The firm had revenue of $56.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $46.60 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 55.82% and a net margin of 8.27%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 57.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.01 EPS. Research analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 64.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 18th will be paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 18th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is presently 15.13%.

Insider Activity

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 owned 30,334 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,876,862.38. This represents a 36.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Shawn Lyon sold 2,500 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total value of $875,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 12,619 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,416,650. This trade represents a 16.54% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 21,691 shares of company stock valued at $7,780,127 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MPC. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 2nd quarter valued at $6,648,958,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,029,611,000. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 1.6% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 2,595,084 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $633,668,000 after purchasing an additional 40,124 shares during the period. Amundi boosted its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 17.5% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,237,930 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $572,172,000 after purchasing an additional 332,551 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 16.7% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,508,489 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $385,675,000 after buying an additional 215,686 shares in the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Marathon Petroleum

Marathon Petroleum Corporation is an integrated downstream energy company focused on refining, marketing, and transporting petroleum products. Its refineries produce fuels and other products, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt, and petrochemical feedstocks.

The company sells transportation fuels and related products through a network of branded locations and other wholesale and commercial channels, primarily in the United States. Its midstream operations, conducted largely through its affiliated partnership MPLX, include gathering, processing, and transporting natural gas and natural gas liquids, as well as storing and transporting crude oil and refined products.

Marathon Petroleum was established as an independent company in 2011, when it was spun off from Marathon Oil Corporation.