Bullseye Investment Management LLC Makes New Investment in Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC

Bullseye Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 1,965 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $502,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Energy Income Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $4,912,000. Evolve Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter worth $673,000. Railway Pension Investments Ltd purchased a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the second quarter worth $3,886,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA increased its position in Marathon Petroleum by 31.0% during the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 213,545 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $52,146,000 after acquiring an additional 50,521 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky increased its position in Marathon Petroleum by 570.7% during the first quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 168,644 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $41,180,000 after acquiring an additional 143,500 shares during the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Marathon Petroleum

In related news, VP Erin M. Brzezinski sold 570 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $362.79, for a total value of $206,790.30. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $571,757.04. This represents a 26.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Molly Benson sold 17,196 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.57, for a total transaction of $6,165,969.72. Following the transaction, the insider owned 30,334 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,876,862.38. The trade was a 36.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 21,691 shares of company stock worth $7,780,127 over the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Key Marathon Petroleum News

Here are the key news stories impacting Marathon Petroleum this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Marathon Petroleum’s strong second-quarter results continue to support the stock. The company reported $5.1 billion in attributable net income, or $17.73 per diluted share, versus the $14.27 analyst consensus, along with $8.5 billion in adjusted EBITDA. It also returned $2.8 billion to shareholders, reinforcing its cash-generation and capital-return story. Marathon Petroleum gains as stronger refining backdrop and analyst optimism lift shares
• Positive Sentiment: A recent analyst upgrade to the price target reflects expectations that refining-margin normalization may be slower than previously anticipated. Brokerage commentary and articles describing MPC as a value or potentially attractive long-term investment may also be supporting sentiment. Marathon Petroleum is considered a good investment by brokers
• Positive Sentiment: Recent institutional activity remains substantial, with major investors including JPMorgan, BlackRock and Sixth Street Partners adding MPC shares during the second quarter. Government contract payments, including naval distillate awards, provide a modest additional demand-related positive.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional positioning is mixed: 850 investors added shares while 892 reduced positions. This suggests continued interest in MPC but also significant profit-taking after its strong run.
• Negative Sentiment: Insiders have reported 11 open-market sales and no purchases over the past six months. Members of Congress also reported sales, which may raise caution about valuation, although these transactions are not necessarily indicative of operating fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: The stock’s recent closing decline and its elevated valuation relative to many published targets could limit upside. Quiver Quantitative lists a six-month median analyst target of $270, well below the current trading range, highlighting the risk that refining margins or energy prices normalize.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. Evercore set a $330.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Zacks Research raised Marathon Petroleum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, September 4th. Raymond James Financial increased their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $303.00 to $318.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $344.00 to $462.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marathon Petroleum has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $330.50.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Up 1.0%

MPC stock traded up $3.81 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $396.23. The company had a trading volume of 2,356,784 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,439,592. The company has a market capitalization of $115.67 billion, a PE ratio of 13.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.26 and a beta of 0.53. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $333.02 and a 200 day moving average of $272.51. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 12 month low of $161.93 and a 12 month high of $409.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.89.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The oil and gas company reported $17.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $14.27 by $3.46. The firm had revenue of $51.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $40.87 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 5.48% and a return on equity of 31.96%. The company’s revenue was up 53.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.96 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 47.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.75%.

Marathon Petroleum Profile

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) is an integrated downstream energy company engaged primarily in refining, marketing and transporting petroleum products. The company converts crude oil and other feedstocks into gasoline, diesel and other transportation fuels, as well as asphalt, propane, petrochemical feedstocks and related products.

Marathon Petroleum operates a network of refineries in the United States and markets refined products through wholesale channels, branded retail locations and commercial customers.