- Marathon Petroleum (MPC +0.3%) is upgraded to Overweight from Neutral with a $61 price target at J.P. Morgan, which calls MPC "a high quality story, with a favorable business mix of refining/logistics/retail and refining geographic mix."
- MPC is well positioned to benefit from market volatility because of its fully integrated systems, the firm says, adding that over the longer term it likes MPC’s refining geographic mix, given its exposure to Mid-Continent and Gulf coast regions.
- MPC enjoyed a quick 8% jump when the MPLX/MWE deal was announced, but the firm says the recent decline in the share price implies that “little to no credit is now being given for the deal in MPC’s shares, either because of fears that the deal won’t close or that MPC will have to contribute more cash."