Piper Sandler Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Stock

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) had its price target increased by stock analysts at Piper Sandler from $197.00 to $228.00 in a report issued on Thursday,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Piper Sandler’s target price suggests a potential downside of 1.62% from the company’s previous close.

Several other analysts have also commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $216.00 to $205.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 26th. TD Cowen upped their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $198.00 to $299.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. Scotiabank raised shares of Marathon Petroleum to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $227.00.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

NYSE:MPC opened at $231.76 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.25 billion, a PE ratio of 17.38, a PEG ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 0.58. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $216.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $195.61. Marathon Petroleum has a 1 year low of $117.74 and a 1 year high of $255.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27.

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 the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.34. The business had revenue of $32.57 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.89 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 2.99%.The firm’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.77 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,626 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.18, for a total transaction of $371,020.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 7,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,717,054.50. The trade was a 17.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,473 shares of company stock worth $1,015,428. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Marathon Petroleum

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter valued at about $472,312,000. 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 valued at $245,157,000 after acquiring an additional 1,495,097 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted 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 valued at $212,517,000 after acquiring an additional 1,273,386 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 27,979.8% during the 2nd quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 659,595 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $109,565,000 after acquiring an additional 657,246 shares during the period. Finally, Man Group plc grew its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 2,175.0% during the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 568,790 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $92,502,000 after purchasing an additional 543,788 shares in the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Marathon Petroleum

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded MPC from “hold” to “strong-buy,” which increases buy‑side interest and may support further inflows. Zacks Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets raised its price target to $255 and kept an “outperform” rating, implying near‑term upside vs. the current level and giving funds a rationale to increase exposure. BMO Price Target Raise
• Positive Sentiment: MPC made Zacks’ Rank #1 (Strong Buy) value stocks list, highlighting it as a top value pick and increasing visibility to retail and model‑based investors. Zacks Value List
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage pieces note MPC (and peer Valero) have staged strong recoveries; commentary debates whether momentum continues, which keeps volatility possible in either direction. Surge Commentary
• Neutral Sentiment: Relative performance pieces show MPC outperforming many energy peers year‑to‑date, supporting the view of sector leadership but also raising expectations that could amplify moves on news. Outperformance Article
• Negative Sentiment: MPC shares fell during a session when the wider market rose; headlines flagged a notable decline in the latest trading session, which can trigger stop‑losses and short‑term technical selling. Session Drop
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary point to the US‑Iran ceasefire news as reducing geopolitical risk — a catalyst that pressured several energy names (including refiners) today by easing crude price fears and compressing near‑term margin expectations. Ceasefire Impact

Marathon Petroleum Company Profile

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.