Key Points
- Insider sale: Director Ricky Hessling sold 1,037 shares on March 12 at an average price of $229.08 for proceeds of $237,555.96, reducing his stake by 10.18% to 9,151 shares (worth about $2.10M).
- Strong quarter and dividend: Marathon reported Q4 adjusted EPS of $4.07 and revenue of $32.57 billion, beating estimates, and recently paid a $1.00 quarterly dividend (annualized $4.00, yield ~1.8%, payout ratio ~30%).
- Market and analyst backdrop: MPC trades near its 52-week high with a market cap of ~$66.6B and a P/E of ~16.9; analysts are mixed but the consensus is a "Moderate Buy" with a $204.25 target while Goldman Sachs raised its target to $239, and institutional investors own about 76.8% of the stock.
Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) insider Ricky Hessling sold 1,037 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $229.08, for a total transaction of $237,555.96. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 9,151 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,096,311.08. The trade was a 10.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.
Marathon Petroleum Stock Down 1.7%
MPC stock opened at $226.06 on Friday. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 52 week low of $115.10 and a 52 week high of $236.10. 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 firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $193.11 and a 200-day simple moving average of $188.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $66.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.69.
Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) 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 analysts' consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.34. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The firm had revenue of $32.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.89 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.77 EPS. Marathon Petroleum's quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. Marathon Petroleum's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.96%.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 11.2% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,866,104 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $6,456,049,000 after acquiring an additional 3,924,713 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter valued at $527,197,000. Capital Wealth Planning LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 49,392.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 1,498,124 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $245,157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,495,097 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position 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 worth $212,517,000 after purchasing an additional 1,273,386 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 14.8% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,013,213 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,325,598,000 after purchasing an additional 1,033,645 shares during the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is currently 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: Blowout Q4 results and big shareholder returns: MPC reported $4.07 adjusted EPS for Q4, topped revenue expectations, and returned substantial cash to shareholders—this underpins near-term earnings and buyback/dividend prospects. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $239 and reiterated a "buy" rating, signaling institutional confidence and providing upward pressure on sentiment. Article Title
- Positive Sentiment: Recent intraday strength — MPC recently closed higher in a session where broader markets fell, indicating episodic demand for the name on company-specific news. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are split on 2026 outlooks: the analyst fair value moved slightly to $202.50, but firms are issuing both raises and trims, creating mixed expectations for forward upside. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: Macro and geopolitical uncertainty (Middle East tensions, central-bank decisions) could push oil and refining margins around, producing volatility but unclear directional impact. Article Title
- Neutral Sentiment: Longer-term industry note — a planned new U.S. refinery in Brownsville could alter supply dynamics over years, but it is not an immediate driver for MPC fundamentals. Article Title
- Negative Sentiment: Insider selling by director Ricky D. Hessling: two recent sales (1,810 shares at ~$224.78 on Mar 11 and 1,037 shares at ~$229.08 on Mar 12) reduced his stake materially — such disclosures often pressure sentiment even when sales are routine. SEC filing: SEC Filing
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of research firms recently weighed in on MPC. Zacks Research lowered shares of Marathon Petroleum from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $211.00 to $179.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Scotiabank restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $174.00 price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Friday, January 16th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Marathon Petroleum from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $204.25.
Get Our Latest Analysis on Marathon Petroleum
About Marathon Petroleum
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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