Marathon Petroleum legal chief Molly Benson sells $6.1m stock

Molly R. Benson, the Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at Marathon Petroleum Corp (NYSE:MPC), divested a significant portion of her company shares on August 17, 2026. The total value of these shares amounted to approximately $6.17 million, executed through a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Benson sold a total of 17,196 shares, each valued at $358.57, resulting in a transaction value of $6,165,969.

Since the sale, the stock has surged to $387, trading close to its 52-week high of $391.98, delivering an impressive 140% return year-to-date. Projections indicate that Marathon Petroleum’s stock is fairly valued at present levels. Investors can access more detailed analysis through Pro Research Reports and additional ProTips. Before these sales, Benson had acquired the same number of shares through the exercise of employee stock options, totaling 17,196 shares at $47.73 per share, which amounted to $820,765.

Benson also has indirect beneficial ownership of 88.355 shares through her 401(k) Plan, including shares acquired via dividend reinvestment. Marathon Petroleum reported robust second-quarter 2026 earnings, with $17.73 earnings per share on revenue of $52.34 billion, significantly surpassing Wall Street expectations. The company credited its success to strong operations, favorable market conditions, and disciplined crude sourcing, which boosted adjusted EBITDA to $8.5 billion.

In response, Freedom Broker upgraded Marathon Petroleum’s stock rating from Sell to Hold, citing exceptional refining margins and operational execution as key drivers. The firm also raised its price target to $297 from $217.