Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Stock Falls 4% – Here’s Why

07 Nov 2026, 20:20 by Tristan Rich · The Markets Daily

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC – Get Free Report)’s stock price fell 4% during trading on Thursday. The company traded as low as $376.47 and last traded at $377.0810. Approximately 3,224,756 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 30% from the average daily volume of 2,474,187 shares. The stock had previously closed at $392.68.

More Marathon Petroleum News

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

Positive Sentiment: A Zacks analysis said MPC could benefit from refinery outages, tight fuel inventories and cheaper heavy crude, which may support refining margins and further upside for the shares. Article: 3 Refining Stocks That Have Doubled in 2026: What’s Next?
Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler raised its price target from $462 to $466 and maintained an Overweight rating, signaling continued analyst confidence. Piper Sandler stock recommendations
Neutral Sentiment: MPC’s $4.2 billion sale of its St. Paul Park and Mandan refineries and related marketing business is intended to fund a greater Gulf Coast focus, including investments to increase diesel output, crude throughput and premium gasoline exports. The shift could improve returns, though it also means selling operating assets. Article: Can MPC’s Gulf Coast Focus Fuel Stronger Future Refining Returns?
Negative Sentiment: MarketWatch reported that MPC shares underperformed competitors Friday, pointing to relative weakness, although the report’s headline did not specify a cause. Article: Marathon Petroleum Corp. stock underperforms Friday when compared to competitors
Negative Sentiment: ETFs were net sellers of MPC on Wednesday, selling about $20.1 million in shares despite more funds buying than selling. Article: ETFs Are Net Sellers of Marathon Petroleum (MPC) on Wednesday

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Zacks Research upgraded Marathon Petroleum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 4th. Raymond James Financial raised their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $350.00 to $445.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Evercore set a $330.00 target price on Marathon Petroleum in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $304.00 to $457.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $462.00 to $466.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. One investment 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Marathon Petroleum presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $425.12.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on MPC

Marathon Petroleum Stock Down 1.3%

The business’s fifty day moving average price is $421.69 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $295.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.25. The firm has a market capitalization of $108.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.80, a PEG ratio of 0.11 and a beta of 0.53.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The oil and gas company reported $26.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $25.37 by $1.56. The company had revenue of $56.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $46.60 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 31.96% and a net margin of 5.48%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 57.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $3.01 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 64.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 18th. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is presently 13.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Petroleum

In other news, SVP Shawn M. Lyon sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $375.75, for a total transaction of $375,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 11,194 shares in the company, valued at $4,206,145.50. This trade represents a 8.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Erin M. Brzezinski sold 570 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $362.79, for a total value of $206,790.30. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $571,757.04. This represents a 26.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 21,691 shares of company stock worth $7,780,127. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

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

Marathon Petroleum Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

Marathon Petroleum Corporation is an integrated downstream energy company focused on refining, marketing, and transporting petroleum products. Its refineries produce fuels and other products, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt, and petrochemical feedstocks.

The company sells transportation fuels and related products through a network of branded locations and other wholesale and commercial channels, primarily in the United States. Its midstream operations, conducted largely through its affiliated partnership MPLX, include gathering, processing, and transporting natural gas and natural gas liquids, as well as storing and transporting crude oil and refined products.

Marathon Petroleum was established as an independent company in 2011, when it was spun off from Marathon Oil Corporation.