Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC): Among Large-Cap Stocks Insiders Were Buying in Q1 2025 Before Trump's Tariff Shockwave

We recently published a list of 12 Large-Cap Stocks Insiders Were Buying in Q1 2025 Before Trump’s Tariff Shockwave. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) stands against other large-cap stocks insiders were buying in Q1 2025 before Trump’s tariff shockwave.

US stocks surged last week following President Trump’s statement that he had “no intention” of removing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, which helped alleviate concerns about the central bank’s independence. Additionally, Trump took a more conciliatory stance on tariffs, suggesting that high import duties on China might eventually be reduced, writes Yahoo Finance.

Amid tariff wars and market uncertainty, insider trading often draws attention. Insider stock purchases may signal executive confidence, while sales aren’t necessarily negative—they could reflect personal or diversification choices. It’s best to view insider trading in context with a company’s financials and market conditions.

Our Methodology

Today, we’re focusing on stocks that have seen heavy insider buying activity in the first quarter of the year. Using Insider Monkey’s insider trading screener, we identified companies with market caps above $10 billion, where at least two insiders purchased shares in the past three months. From this list, we ranked the top 12 stocks with the highest value of insider purchases

Our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds, focusing on insider trading and stock picks from hedge fund investor newsletters and conferences. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC)

Market cap: $41.84 billion

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: MPC), based in Findlay, Ohio, is a leading U.S. energy company focused on refining, marketing, and transporting petroleum and renewable fuels. Operating through three segments—Refining & Marketing, Midstream, and Renewable Diesel—it produces transportation fuels, asphalt, petrochemicals, and renewable diesel for customers across the U.S. and internationally. Originally founded in 1887, Marathon became an independent company in 2011 following its separation from Marathon Oil.

In 2024, Marathon reported net income of $3.4 billion, or $10.08 per diluted share, a sharp decline from $9.7 billion, or $23.63 per share, in 2023. Adjusted net income for the year was $3.3 billion, or $9.51 per share, also down significantly from the prior year.

During the first quarter, two insiders, including the company’s chief commercial officer, bought $403,140 worth of Marathon shares at an average price of $134.21 per share. Since the beginning of the year, Marathon shares declined 3.73%, currently trading at $134.30 per share. Over the past 12 months, Marathon stock lost 32.56%.

Marathon is also one of the 14 most expensive stocks insiders are buying in March and one of the 10 best oil stocks to invest in according to billionaires.

Overall, MPC ranks 9th on our list of large-cap stocks insiders were buying in Q1 2025 before Trump’s tariff shockwave. While we acknowledge the potential of MPC as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than MPC but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.