TD Cowen Raises Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Price Target to $198.00

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) had its price target lifted by TD Cowen from $183.00 to $198.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. TD Cowen’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 5.86% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $217.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Wednesday. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $231.00 to $184.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $185.00 to $182.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 14th. Scotiabank reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $174.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $211.00 to $179.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $198.38.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Up 5.7%

Shares of MPC stock opened at $187.04 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $177.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $180.70. The stock has a market cap of $56.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. Marathon Petroleum has a 1 year low of $115.10 and a 1 year high of $202.29.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The oil and gas company reported $4.07 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.34. The company had revenue of $35.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $30.89 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 9.76% and a net margin of 2.13%.Marathon Petroleum’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.77 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Pure Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 4,527 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $736,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Apeiron RIA LLC increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Apeiron RIA LLC now owns 2,172 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $383,000 after buying an additional 77 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 44.2% during the fourth quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 9,298 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,512,000 after acquiring an additional 2,848 shares during the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 123.1% during the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 8,715 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,417,000 after acquiring an additional 4,809 shares during the period. Finally, Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC boosted its position in Marathon Petroleum by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Drucker Wealth 3.0 LLC now owns 1,552 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $252,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Marathon Petroleum

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and margin rebound — MPC reported adjusted EPS ~$4.07, beating consensus, with refining margins recovering and 94% utilization; management highlighted margin capture of ~105%, which drove stronger cash flow and underpins 2026 capital returns. Marathon press release
• Positive Sentiment: Buybacks & MPLX support — Management signaled continued aggressive share repurchases (reducing share count ~6.5% Q1, ~10% for 2025) and highlighted that MPC’s ~70% stake in MPLX provides a high-yield dividend stream that helps fund MPC dividends and buybacks. This is a key long-term driver for EPS accretion. MarketBeat analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Purchased Venezuelan crude for U.S. refineries — MPC disclosed two cargo purchases of Venezuelan heavy crude and plans to run more heavy grades; this can lower feedstock costs and improve margins but adds operational complexity and potential geopolitical/regulatory exposure. Reuters
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/institutional positioning — Coverage and price-target chatter turned more constructive after the print (some houses see upside to near-record levels), and institutional ownership remains high (~90% held by institutions), supporting a favorable technical backdrop. MarketBeat
• Negative Sentiment: Labor negotiation risk — Refinery union talks remain unresolved; Reuters sources say the union has neither accepted nor rejected Marathon’s latest offer, leaving the possibility of labor disruption that could pressure utilization and margins. Seeking Alpha / Reuters
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed near-term market reaction — Some coverage notes the stock slipped intraday despite the beat, reflecting investor focus on forward visibility, cyclical margin sustainability, and any incremental guidance. Expect volatility as the market digests buyback pace vs. recurring margin strength. TipRanks

Marathon Petroleum Company Profile

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.