Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Reaches New 12-Month High – Should You Buy?

Shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $262.48 and last traded at $262.0650, with a volume of 903453 shares. The stock had previously closed at $259.53.

Key Marathon Petroleum News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Marathon Petroleum’s Q1 results beat expectations, with earnings and revenue topping estimates; the company also boosted its stock buyback program, which supports EPS and signals management confidence. Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Exceeds Estimates in Q1, Boosts Stock Buyback Program
• Positive Sentiment: Market momentum has stayed strong, with articles noting MPC’s relative price strength and its rise over the past week, suggesting investors are favoring the stock as a momentum name. Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Is Up 4.15% in One Week: What You Should Know
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlighted MPC as a top momentum stock for the long term, reinforcing the view that the recent strength may have more room to run. Why Marathon Petroleum (MPC) is a Top Momentum Stock for the Long-Term
• Neutral Sentiment: Marathon Petroleum also appeared in a broader list of stocks showing relative price strength, which adds to the bullish technical backdrop but does not by itself change fundamentals. 5 Stocks With Relative Price Strength in a Record Market
• Neutral Sentiment: Marathon Petroleum participated in pre-seed funding for methane detection startup Aquanta Vision, showing ongoing investment in emissions technology, though the financial impact is likely limited near term. Aquanta Vision Secures Pre-Seed Funding to Advance Real-Time Methane Leak Detection
• Neutral Sentiment: An energy-sector piece suggested refiners could remain attractive even if oil prices ease, which is broadly supportive for MPC but not company-specific. Iran Ceasefire Trade: 3 Energy Stocks to Own if Oil Falls to $80

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $174.00 to $210.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Barclays lifted their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Marathon Petroleum has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $259.44.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.18. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $235.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $203.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.80 billion, a PE ratio of 17.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.33 and a beta of 0.53.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.91. The firm had revenue of $34.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $33.42 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 16.22%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned ($0.24) EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 29.67 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 20th. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is presently 26.11%.

Insider Activity at Marathon Petroleum

In other news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,626 shares of Marathon Petroleum 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,473 shares of company stock worth $1,015,428. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marathon Petroleum

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Navalign LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 100.0% in the 4th 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 during the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

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.