Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Stock Price Down 1.7% – Here’s What Happened

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC)’s stock price traded down 1.7% during mid-day trading on Thursday. The company traded as low as $419.28 and last traded at $433.3010. Approximately 2,385,802 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 3% from the average daily volume of 2,463,017 shares. The stock had previously closed at $440.77.

Key Stories Impacting Marathon Petroleum

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

• Positive Sentiment: Dividend raised 10%: Marathon Petroleum increased its quarterly dividend from $1.00 to $1.10 per share, payable December 10 to shareholders of record November 18. The increase signals confidence in cash generation and strengthens the stock’s shareholder-return appeal. Marathon Petroleum Corp. Increases Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Positive pre-earnings expectations: Analysts and financial commentary describe MPC as a potentially attractive value and momentum stock ahead of its November 3 results. Investors are watching whether refining profitability, revenue and other operating metrics can exceed elevated expectations. This Is Why MPC Stock Is a Smart Buy Before Q3 Earnings Release
• Positive Sentiment: Strong momentum and valuation support: Zacks identifies MPC as a strong momentum stock, while other coverage highlights its growth potential and comparatively attractive PEG-based valuation. These signals may be encouraging additional buying interest. Here’s Why Marathon Petroleum Is a Strong Momentum Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Board appointment: David E. Constable will join MPC’s board effective March 1, 2027. The appointment could add strategic or governance expertise, but its near-term earnings impact is unclear. David Constable to Join Marathon Petroleum Board
• Negative Sentiment: Profit-taking and earnings risks: ETFs were net sellers of MPC, while commentary warns that pressured refining margins and gasoline markets could disappoint after the stock’s substantial rally. Even a quarterly earnings beat may trigger selling if results or guidance fail to exceed high expectations. Marathon Petroleum’s November 3 Earnings Red Flags

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MPC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $433.00 price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Sunday, October 11th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $450.00 to $478.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $265.00 to $453.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 4th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $304.00 to $457.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marathon Petroleum currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $424.31.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $129.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.29, a P/E/G ratio of 0.11 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $417.80 and a 200-day simple moving average of $289.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The oil and gas company reported $17.73 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $14.27 by $3.46. The company had revenue of $51.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $40.87 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 31.96% and a net margin of 5.48%. Marathon Petroleum’s revenue for the quarter was up 53.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.96 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 64.12 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 18th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is 15.13%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Molly Benson sold 17,196 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.57, for a total transaction of $6,165,969.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 30,334 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,876,862.38. This trade represents a 36.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Shawn Lyon sold 2,500 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total transaction of $875,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 12,619 shares in the company, valued at $4,416,650. This trade represents a 16.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 21,691 shares of company stock valued at $7,780,127 in the last quarter. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter valued at about $6,648,958,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,029,611,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter valued at approximately $621,832,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter valued at approximately $380,745,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the second quarter valued at approximately $280,761,000. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Marathon Petroleum

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.