Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) Stock Has Consensus Target Price of $417.88

Shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) have been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the seventeen ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $424.31.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $376.00 to $472.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $344.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. UBS Group set a $510.00 target price on Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $400.00 to $560.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $265.00 to $453.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MPC opened at $457.00 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $410.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $316.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.25. Marathon Petroleum has a one year low of $161.93 and a one year high of $493.98. The firm has a market cap of $133.42 billion, a PE ratio of 15.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.12 and a beta of 0.54.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $51.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $40.87 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 31.96% and a net margin of 5.48%. Marathon Petroleum’s revenue was up 53.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.96 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum will post 63.58 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 19th were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is 13.75%.

Insider Activity at Marathon Petroleum

In other Marathon Petroleum news, insider Molly Benson sold 17,196 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.57, for a total transaction of $6,165,969.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 30,334 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,876,862.38. The trade was a 36.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Shawn Lyon sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $375.75, for a total transaction of $375,750.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 11,194 shares in the company, valued at $4,206,145.50. The trade was a 8.20% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 21,691 shares of company stock worth $7,780,127 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Nadler Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter valued at about $287,000. Sigma Planning Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 6.7% during the third quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 8,794 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,434,000 after acquiring an additional 552 shares during the period. IRON Financial LLC bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the 3rd quarter worth about $288,000. Revolve Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $302,000. Finally, Brandywine Oak Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter valued at approximately $297,000. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marathon Petroleum Company Profile

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) is an American downstream energy company engaged in refining, marketing, and transporting petroleum products. Its operations include converting crude oil into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt, propane, and other refined products used by transportation, industrial, and commercial customers.

The company markets fuel under the Marathon brand and supplies products to independent marketers, commercial businesses, and other wholesale customers. Marathon Petroleum also owns a general-partner interest and significant limited-partner interest in MPLX Inc, a midstream company that operates pipelines, storage facilities, terminals, and gathering and processing assets supporting the movement of crude oil and natural gas liquids.

Marathon Petroleum’s refining and midstream activities are concentrated in the United States, with assets serving regions across the Midwest, Gulf Coast, and West Coast.