Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Price Target Raised to $335.00 at Wells Fargo & Company

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) had its target price increased by Wells Fargo & Company to $335.00 in a research report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an overweight rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on MPC. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $299.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $197.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $239.00 to $264.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $200.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $243.00 to $257.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $254.19.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Down 5.7%

Shares of NYSE MPC opened at $245.67 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.38 and a beta of 0.53. Marathon Petroleum has a 1-year low of $142.73 and a 1-year high of $261.61. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $228.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $200.58.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.91. The firm had revenue of $34.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.42 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 16.16% and a net margin of 3.36%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted ($0.24) EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum will post 26.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be paid a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 20th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 26.11%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,810 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.78, for a total value 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. This trade represents a 15.09% 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. Insiders sold 4,473 shares of company stock valued at $1,015,428 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter worth about $2,891,000. Diversified Trust Co. raised its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 39.3% in the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 15,675 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,549,000 after purchasing an additional 4,419 shares during the period. First Interstate Bank acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the 3rd quarter worth about $5,050,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,004,000. Finally, KKM Financial LLC increased its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 27.6% in the third quarter. KKM Financial LLC now owns 26,202 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $5,050,000 after buying an additional 5,661 shares in the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marathon Petroleum News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat and margin tailwind — MPC reported adjusted EPS of $1.65 and revenue of $34.2B, beating estimates as refining margins widened amid tighter global supply. This operational strength is the core driver behind the recent upside in the shares. Marathon Petroleum first-quarter profit beats estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Big capital returns — MPC announced $1.0B of capital returned in the quarter and an incremental $5.0B share repurchase authorization, reinforcing a shareholder-return focus that supports valuation upside. Marathon Petroleum Corp. Reports First-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades — Wells Fargo raised its price target to $335 (overweight) and TD Cowen to $320 (buy), signaling institutional conviction that MPC has meaningful upside from current levels. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational outlook and growth plans — Management outlined ~94% Q2 utilization, ongoing refinery projects (Garyville online, FCC upgrade, Robinson jet project) and an MPLX growth plan targeting ~12.5% distribution growth that should support longer-term cash flow. Marathon Petroleum outlines 94% Q2 utilization
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call commentary — Management emphasized cash generation and disciplined capital deployment; slides and the call provide detail for modeling near-term margins and buyback pacing. Earnings Call Highlights
• Negative Sentiment: Short-term pullback despite positives — the stock is trading lower today, which appears driven by profit-taking after the post-earnings rally and/or sector rotation; investors should expect volatility while refining margins and geopolitical drivers evolve.

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.