Principal Financial Group Inc. Has $269.07 Million Stake in Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC

Principal Financial Group Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) by 12.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 1,654,472 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 232,376 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $269,067,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 30.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,988 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $696,000 after purchasing an additional 1,178 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 38.3% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 26,697 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,889,000 after purchasing an additional 7,396 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 26.6% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,221 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $369,000 after purchasing an additional 466 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 2nd quarter worth about $8,505,000. Finally, AXA S.A. lifted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 46.7% during the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 39,675 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $6,590,000 after buying an additional 12,639 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $194.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $213.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Zacks Research raised Marathon Petroleum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Mizuho lifted their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $205.00 to $224.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $221.00 to $280.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $241.81.

Key Headlines Impacting Marathon Petroleum

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results materially beat expectations — adjusted EPS of $1.65 vs. consensus ~ $0.72 and revenue of $34.2B, driven by stronger refining performance. This is the principal catalyst for the rally. Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Tops Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management announced an incremental $5 billion share-repurchase authorization and returned ~$ $1.0B of capital in the quarter — increases cash return to shareholders and supports valuation multiples. Marathon Petroleum Corp. Reports First-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Refining tailwinds: management cited tighter global refined-product supply (Middle East conflict) and expanding crack spreads, lifting margins and refining earnings. That macro driver is benefiting refiners like MPC today. Marathon Petroleum first-quarter profit beats estimates on refining margin boost
• Positive Sentiment: Operational strength and high utilization guidance: company outlined ~94% expected Q2 utilization and progress on projects (Garyville online, El Paso and Robinson upgrades) supporting near-term throughput and margins. Marathon Petroleum outlines 94% Q2 utilization and adds $5B buyback authorization amid 12.5% MPLX distribution growth target
• Positive Sentiment: Strong cash generation: cash from operations ~ $1.1B while executing turnarounds (~40% of planned), giving confidence in funding growth and returns. Marathon Petroleum Corp. Reports First-Quarter 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media coverage is broadly positive on refining fundamentals and MPC’s value case; several pieces frame MPC as a beneficiary of the current refining cycle. Here’s Why Marathon Petroleum (MPC) is a Strong Value Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call/transcripts and analyst write-ups provide detail on operations and guidance for investors who want to dig into assumptions and cadence. Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Key risk — MPC’s near-term earnings are sensitive to refining margins and geopolitical-driven supply disruptions; if supply normalizes or margins compress, results and sentiment could reverse. (See sector commentary on margin drivers.) Pain At The Pump: Top Energy Stocks To Buy Now As Gas Prices Surge 40%

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marathon Petroleum news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,810 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $224.78, for a total value of $406,851.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 10,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,290,058.64. The trade was a 15.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,473 shares of company stock valued at $1,015,428. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

NYSE MPC opened at $260.55 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $227.27 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $200.13. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 12-month low of $141.91 and a 12-month high of $261.61. The company has a market capitalization of $76.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.52, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.91. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The company had revenue of $34.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.42 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.24) earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 26.3 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 20th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.96%.

Marathon Petroleum 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.