Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Shares Climb 2.4% – Still a Buy?

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC)’s stock price was up 2.4% on Thursday. The company traded as high as $417.79 and last traded at $412.6190. Approximately 1,984,182 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 20% from the average session volume of 2,472,076 shares. The stock had previously closed at $402.84.

Recent Marathon Petroleum Headlines

Here are a few of the latest headlines about MPC:

• Positive Sentiment: MPC’s Q3 2026 results showed revenue of about $56.5 billion and net income of $7.4 billion, with earnings beating expectations. Strong refining performance and refinery upgrades helped underpin the results. Article: Marathon Petroleum Posts Stronger Q3 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Investors are also weighing substantial capital returns: MPC returned $3.3 billion to shareholders in the quarter, authorized another $5 billion in buybacks, and raised its quarterly dividend by 10%. Its planned $4.2 billion sale of the St. Paul Park and Mandan refineries could free up funds for reinvestment, particularly along the Gulf Coast. Article: Marathon Petroleum Rises on Q3 Results and Asset Sale
• Negative Sentiment: Weaker jet-fuel margins were a partial offset to the strong quarter. Commentary also raises the question of whether MPC’s large share-price gains have outpaced the cash flows supporting its valuation. Article: Is Marathon Petroleum Too Pricey?

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on MPC. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $376.00 to $472.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 21st. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $321.00 to $488.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $560.00 to $564.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 4th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $453.00 to $458.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 4th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $318.00 to $518.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $425.12.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $112.35 billion, a PE ratio of 14.18, a PEG ratio of 0.10 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.09. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $422.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $298.62.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The oil and gas company reported $26.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $25.37 by $1.56. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 55.82% and a net margin of 8.27%. The business had revenue of $56.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $46.60 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.01 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 57.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 66.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 18th will be issued a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 18th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 15.13%.

Insider Activity at Marathon Petroleum

In other Marathon Petroleum news, insider Molly Benson sold 17,196 shares of the company’s 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,876,862.38. This represents a 36.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Erin M. Brzezinski sold 570 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at $571,757.04. The trade was a 26.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 19,191 shares of company stock worth $6,905,127. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vaquero Private Wealth Ltd. bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Solstein Capital LLC bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Caitlin John LLC bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum Company Profile

Marathon Petroleum Corporation is an integrated downstream energy company focused on refining, marketing, and transporting petroleum products. Its refineries produce fuels and other products, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt, and petrochemical feedstocks. The company sells transportation fuels and related products through a network of branded locations and other wholesale and commercial channels, primarily in the United States. Its midstream operations, conducted largely through its affiliated partnership MPLX, include gathering, processing, and transporting natural gas and natural gas liquids, as well as storing and transporting crude oil and refined products.