Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) has earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $198.38.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on MPC shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $222.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $191.00 to $186.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Scotiabank reduced their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $207.00 to $191.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 12th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 14th. Finally, Raymond James cut their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $235.00 to $230.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 400.0% during the first quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the first quarter worth $29,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Wellington Shields & Co. LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the first quarter worth $40,000. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter worth $35,000. 76.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

Shares of MPC stock opened at $166.00 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $171.21 and a 200-day moving average of $180.21. The company has a market cap of $58.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 1.31 and a quick ratio of 0.90. Marathon Petroleum has a one year low of $139.32 and a one year high of $221.11.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The oil and gas company reported $4.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.09 by $1.03. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 4.79% and a return on equity of 24.05%. The business had revenue of $38.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.66 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $5.32 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Marathon Petroleum will post 12.68 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be paid a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 21st. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.48%.

Marathon Petroleum Company Profile

Marathon Petroleum Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated downstream energy company primarily in the United States. The company operates through Refining & Marketing, and Midstream segments. The Refining & Marketing segment refines crude oil and other feedstocks at its refineries in the Gulf Coast, Mid-Continent, and West Coast regions of the United States; and purchases refined products and ethanol for resale and distributes refined products, including renewable diesel, through transportation, storage, distribution, and marketing services.