Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Stock Price Down 4% – Time to Sell?

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Nov 5th, 2026

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC – Get Free Report)’s share price traded down 4% during mid-day trading on Thursday. The stock traded as low as $376.47 and last traded at $377.0810. Approximately 3,224,756 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 30% from the average daily volume of 2,474,187 shares. The stock had previously closed at $392.68.

Key Stories Impacting Marathon Petroleum

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

Positive Sentiment: Strong results: MPC reported third-quarter EPS of $26.93, well above estimates, as higher refining margins, favorable fuel spreads and record refinery utilization boosted performance. Coverage also highlighted $11.7 billion in adjusted EBITDA and renewable diesel returning to profitability. MPC Q3 Earnings Beat Estimates on Strong Refining Margins
Positive Sentiment: Strategic asset sale and reinvestment: MPC agreed to sell its St. Paul Park and Mandan refineries and related marketing business to CVR Energy for $4.2 billion. The company plans to focus investment on the Gulf Coast, targeting higher diesel output, crude throughput and premium gasoline exports. The shift could improve returns, though results will depend on execution and refining-market conditions. Can MPC’s Gulf Coast Focus Fuel Stronger Future Refining Returns?
Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Piper Sandler raised its price target to $466 from $462 and maintained an Overweight rating, signaling confidence in MPC’s outlook. Piper Sandler ratings
Neutral Sentiment: The divestiture reduces MPC’s Midwest refining footprint; proceeds and Gulf Coast investments may create value, but the transition introduces uncertainty around future earnings contributions. Coverage provides no definitive explanation for the recent share decline.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $376.00 to $472.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $433.00 target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a report on Sunday, October 11th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $410.00 to $426.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Piper Sandler upped their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $462.00 to $466.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group set a $510.00 price target on Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Friday, October 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marathon Petroleum has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $425.12.

View Our Latest Analysis on MPC

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

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 firm has a market cap of $110.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.11 and a beta of 0.53. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $421.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $293.35.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 3rd. The oil and gas company reported $26.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $25.37 by $1.56. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 8.27% and a return on equity of 58.93%. The firm had revenue of $56.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $46.60 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.01 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 57.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 64.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 18th will be issued a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 18th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.75%.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In other news, insider Molly Benson sold 17,196 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.57, for a total value of $6,165,969.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 30,334 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,876,862.38. This trade represents a 36.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Erin M. Brzezinski sold 570 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $362.79, for a total value of $206,790.30. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 1,576 shares in the company, valued at $571,757.04. This represents a 26.56% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 21,691 shares of company stock valued at $7,780,127 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund grew its position in Marathon Petroleum by 4.9% during the third quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 67,579 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $26,722,000 after purchasing an additional 3,152 shares in the last quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,830,000. AMG National Trust Bank boosted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. AMG National Trust Bank now owns 15,660 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $6,192,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. 626 Financial LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter valued at $228,000. Finally, D Orazio & Associates Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. now owns 1,795 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $710,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Marathon Petroleum

(Get Free Report)

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.