Research Analysts Issue Forecasts for MPC FY2025 Earnings

Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) – Scotiabank reduced their FY2025 earnings estimates for Marathon Petroleum in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, January 8th. Scotiabank analyst P. Cheng now expects that the oil and gas company will earn $11.55 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $15.20. Scotiabank has a “Sector Outperform” rating and a $170.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Marathon Petroleum’s current full-year earnings is $9.47 per share.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.90. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 16.19% and a net margin of 3.15%. The business had revenue of $35.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $8.14 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 14.9% on a year-over-year basis.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on MPC. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 4th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $167.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 10th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marathon Petroleum currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $183.73.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

MPC stock opened at $149.54 on Monday. Marathon Petroleum has a 1 year low of $130.54 and a 1 year high of $221.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.85, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.23. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $147.88 and its two-hundred day moving average is $159.57.

Institutional Trading of Marathon Petroleum

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of MPC. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Marathon Petroleum by 88.9% during the 3rd quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 672.7% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter valued at $33,000. 76.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell bought 6,000 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $149.61 per share, with a total value of $897,660.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 6,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $911,124.90. This trade represents a 6,666.67 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Marathon Petroleum announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, November 5th that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the oil and gas company to purchase up to 10% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Marathon Petroleum Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 20th were paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. This is a positive change from Marathon Petroleum’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.43%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.84%.

Marathon Petroleum Company Profile

Marathon Petroleum Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated downstream energy company primarily in the United States. The company operates through Refining & Marketing, and Midstream segments. The Refining & Marketing segment refines crude oil and other feedstocks at its refineries in the Gulf Coast, Mid-Continent, and West Coast regions of the United States; and purchases refined products and ethanol for resale and distributes refined products, including renewable diesel, through transportation, storage, distribution, and marketing services.