Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Given New $264.00 Price Target at The Goldman Sachs Group

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) had its target price lifted by The Goldman Sachs Group from $239.00 to $264.00 in a report issued on Friday morning,MarketScreener reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the oil and gas company’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on MPC. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 28th. Piper Sandler upped their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $197.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Raymond James Financial increased their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $210.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 25th. Scotiabank upgraded Marathon Petroleum to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $216.00 to $205.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $232.88.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MPC opened at $222.85 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $218.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $196.05. Marathon Petroleum has a fifty-two week low of $117.74 and a fifty-two week high of $255.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $65.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.42 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last issued 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 firm had revenue of $32.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.89 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.77 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. 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 is 29.96%.

Insider Activity at Marathon Petroleum

In other news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,626 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.18, for a total transaction of $371,020.68. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,717,054.50. This represents a 17.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders have sold 4,473 shares of company stock worth $1,015,428 over the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Navalign LLC bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs raised its price target to $264 and maintained a Buy — the largest, most bullish lift this week and a clear catalyst for upside re-rating. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays moved its target to $230 and kept an Overweight — another institutional vote that supports further multiple expansion. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks upgraded MPC from Hold to Strong-Buy, adding short-term positive sentiment from retail-focused research. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage piece notes upgraded earnings views, stronger refiner margins with higher oil, and an active buyback program — a fundamental case supporting a higher forward valuation. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its target to $243 but kept a Neutral rating — signals upside but tempered conviction. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: JPMorgan and Piper Sandler both lifted targets (to $235 and $228 respectively) while keeping Neutral ratings — modestly constructive but not strong buy-side conviction. JPMorgan Article Piper Article
• Negative Sentiment: Despite the bullish analyst activity, MPC experienced a sharp intraday drop on April 8 (roughly a 5.5% decline) — a reminder of near-term volatility and possible profit-taking after the recent run-up. Article Title

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.