Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Sets New 12-Month High Following Earnings Beat

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) hit a new 52-week high on Tuesday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The stock traded as high as $260.35 and last traded at $256.2910, with a volume of 635894 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $252.54.

The oil and gas company reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.72 by $0.93. The company had revenue of $34.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.42 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 13.90% and a net margin of 2.99%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.24) EPS.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 20th. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is 29.96%.

More Marathon Petroleum News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results materially beat expectations — adjusted EPS $1.65 (vs. consensus ~ $0.72–$1.09) and revenue $34.2B, a year-over-year revenue increase. The company returned capital and delivered positive operating cash flow, which supports investor confidence. Marathon Petroleum Corp. Reports First-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Refining strength lifted profits — higher crack spreads and tighter global supply (linked to Middle East tensions) boosted refining margins, helping the beat. Operational performance (projects coming online) amplified the tailwind. Marathon Petroleum first-quarter profit beats estimates on refining margin boost
• Positive Sentiment: Capital returns accelerated — $1.0B returned in the quarter and management authorized an incremental $5B share repurchase; MPLX distribution growth and select project start-ups (Garyville jet online; El Paso/Robinson work in progress) support near-term cash flow. Marathon Petroleum Corp. Reports First-Quarter 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Operational cadence: cash from operations was ~$1.1B while the company completed roughly 40% of planned 2026 turnaround activity — shows progress but implies ongoing maintenance-related downtime that can affect throughput timing. View Press Release / Slide Deck
• Neutral Sentiment: Market context: MPC is trading near its 52‑week high and carries a P/E ~19 with a PEG ~0.36; momentum stories cite upside but valuation and macro energy moves will guide further gains. 4 Stocks Trading Near 52-Week High With More Upside Potential
• Negative Sentiment: Refining results are cyclical and tied to volatile crack spreads and geopolitics; if crude markets ease or global supply rebalances, margins (and earnings) could reverse. Investors should watch oil market direction and margin trends. Marathon Petroleum first-quarter profit beats estimates on refining margin boost

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MPC. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $197.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $184.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Zacks Research raised shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $205.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marathon Petroleum has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $241.81.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Petroleum

In related news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,810 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.78, for a total value of $406,851.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 10,188 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,290,058.64. The trade was a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 4,473 shares of company stock valued at $1,015,428 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MPC. Navalign LLC bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Up 1.5%

The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $226.00 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $199.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market cap of $75.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.25, a P/E/G ratio of 0.36 and a beta of 0.53.

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.