Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $360.00.

Several brokerages recently weighed in on MPC. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $359.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $303.00 to $318.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. BMO Capital Markets restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Friday, June 12th. Raymond James Financial upped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $350.00 to $445.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Evercore set a $330.00 target price on Marathon Petroleum in a report on Wednesday, August 5th.

More Marathon Petroleum News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Tight global refined-product markets, constrained refining capacity and resilient fuel demand are supporting refining margins, benefiting Marathon Petroleum and other major refiners. Tight Global Markets Drive Refining Sector: 3 Stocks to Consider
• Positive Sentiment: MPC has gained substantial momentum, with its recent one-week performance drawing attention from momentum investors. Analysts and market commentators also continue to cite the stock as a way to benefit from stronger oil and refining markets. Marathon Petroleum Is Up 7.31% in One Week: What You Should Know
• Positive Sentiment: Investment commentary highlights Marathon’s robust refining margins, while a broader oil-market surge is supporting interest in energy-related stocks. Buy These 3 Momentum Stocks to Profit From the Oil Surge
• Neutral Sentiment: Oil prices weakened in broader trading, creating a mixed backdrop for energy stocks even as company-specific refining fundamentals remain supportive. AMD, Marvell, Akamai, Chevron, and More Stocks That Explain Today’s Market
• Negative Sentiment: Donald Trump’s support for a possible U.S. diesel export ban has pressured refiners. Limiting overseas outlets could weaken diesel pricing, reduce Marathon’s earnings flexibility and hurt its global sales mix. The White House review is not yet a finalized policy, but investors are discounting the potential risk. Marathon Petroleum Faces Fresh Uncertainty After Trump Backs Diesel Export Ban
• Negative Sentiment: After its sharp rally, one analysis argues MPC could be approximately 20% overvalued if the diesel-export review develops into restrictive policy, increasing the risk of profit-taking. Marathon Petroleum Could Be 20% Overvalued Following Diesel Export Ban Review

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Shawn M. Lyon sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total value of $875,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 12,619 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,416,650. This trade represents a 16.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Erin M. Brzezinski sold 570 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $362.79, for a total transaction of $206,790.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 1,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $571,757.04. This represents a 26.56% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 21,691 shares of company stock worth $7,780,127. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MPC. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the second 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 lifted its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 1.6% during 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 buying an additional 40,124 shares during the last quarter. Amundi boosted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 17.5% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 2,237,930 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $572,172,000 after acquiring an additional 332,551 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter valued at about $472,312,000. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

NYSE MPC opened at $392.75 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $114.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.50, a P/E/G ratio of 0.12 and a beta of 0.53. 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 50-day moving average of $358.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $287.12. Marathon Petroleum has a 1-year low of $161.93 and a 1-year high of $431.08.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The oil and gas company reported $17.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $14.27 by $3.46. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 5.48% and a return on equity of 31.96%. The business had revenue of $51.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $40.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $3.96 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 53.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum will post 59.15 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were given a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.75%.

Marathon Petroleum Company Profile

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) is an integrated downstream energy company engaged primarily in refining, marketing and transporting petroleum products. The company converts crude oil and other feedstocks into gasoline, diesel and other transportation fuels, as well as asphalt, propane, petrochemical feedstocks and related products.

Marathon Petroleum operates a network of refineries in the United States and markets refined products through wholesale channels, branded retail locations and commercial customers.