V Square Quantitative Management LLC Purchases 313 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 6.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,521 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 313 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $770,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gladius Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Marathon Petroleum by 88.9% in the third quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 672.7% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter valued at about $33,000. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Shares of MPC opened at $156.11 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.23. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a one year low of $130.54 and a one year high of $221.11. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $145.89 and its 200-day moving average is $157.19.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.71. The firm had revenue of $33.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.94 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 12.07% and a net margin of 2.45%. Marathon Petroleum’s revenue was down 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.98 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.7 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be paid a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is presently 36.66%.

Marathon Petroleum announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, November 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the oil and gas company to reacquire up to 10% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Raymond James boosted their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $190.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.27.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Petroleum

In other news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell purchased 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $149.61 per share, with a total value of $897,660.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 6,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $911,124.90. This trade represents a 6,666.67 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum 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.