Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Insider Ricky Hessling Sells 1,037 Shares of Stock

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) insider Ricky Hessling sold 1,037 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider owned 9,151 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,096,311.08. This trade represents a 10.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

Shares of MPC stock opened at $226.06 on Friday. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 12-month low of $115.10 and a 12-month high of $236.10. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $193.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $188.14. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The company has a market cap of $66.63 billion, a PE ratio of 16.93, a PEG ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 0.69.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 3rd. The oil and gas company reported $4.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.34. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 2.99%.The firm had revenue of $32.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.77 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 18th were given a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 18th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.96%.

Key Marathon Petroleum News

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MPC shares. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $198.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $221.00 target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Marathon Petroleum from a “hold (c)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $225.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 3rd. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $204.25.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MPC. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 11.2% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 38,866,104 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $6,456,049,000 after purchasing an additional 3,924,713 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter valued at $527,197,000. Capital Wealth Planning LLC raised its holdings in 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 worth $245,157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,495,097 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 3,816.8% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,306,749 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $212,517,000 after purchasing an additional 1,273,386 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 14.8% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 8,013,213 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,325,598,000 after buying an additional 1,033,645 shares in the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.