Marathon Petroleum legal chief Molly Benson sells $6.1m stock

Molly R. Benson, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at Marathon Petroleum Corp (NYSE:MPC), sold company shares totaling approximately $6.17 million on August 17, 2026. These transactions were executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan, which was adopted by Benson on May 15, 2026.

The filing indicates that Benson disposed of a total of 17,196 shares of Marathon Petroleum common stock. These shares were sold at a price of $358.57 per share, resulting in a total transaction value of $6,165,969. The stock has since climbed to $387, trading near its 52-week high of $391.98, with shares delivering a remarkable 140% year-to-date return. According to InvestingPro analysis, the stock appears fairly valued at current levels. Investors seeking deeper insights can access comprehensive Pro Research Reports and 18+ additional ProTips for Marathon Petroleum.

Prior to these sales, Benson acquired the same number of shares, 17,196, through the exercise of employee stock options. These shares were acquired at an exercise price of $47.73 per share, totaling $820,765.

The report also noted Benson’s indirect beneficial ownership of 88.355 shares through a 401(k) Plan, which includes shares acquired via dividend reinvestment.

In other recent news, Marathon Petroleum reported impressive second-quarter 2026 earnings, surpassing Wall Street expectations. The company achieved earnings of $17.73 per share on revenue of $52.34 billion, significantly exceeding analysts’ forecasts of $12.94 per share and $41.16 billion in revenue. Marathon Petroleum attributed its strong performance to robust operations, favorable market conditions, and disciplined crude sourcing, which helped drive adjusted EBITDA to $8.5 billion. Following these results, Freedom Broker upgraded Marathon Petroleum’s stock rating from Sell to Hold, citing exceptionally strong refining margins and operational execution as key factors. The firm also raised its price target for the company to $297 from $217. These developments underscore Marathon Petroleum’s ability to capitalize on geopolitical shifts in refining margins.