Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Grows Position in Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 22,789 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,586 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $5,826,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Solstein Capital LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter valued at $26,000. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Cetera Trust Company N.A acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the second quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Up 1.0%

Marathon Petroleum stock opened at $396.23 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $335.61 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $273.38. The firm has a market cap of $115.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.25 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 1.25. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 1 year low of $161.93 and a 1 year high of $409.11.

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

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marathon Petroleum news, VP Erin M. Brzezinski sold 570 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 1,576 shares in the company, valued at $571,757.04. This represents a 26.56% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Molly R. Benson sold 17,196 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.57, for a total value of $6,165,969.72. Following the sale, the insider owned 30,334 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,876,862.38. This represents a 36.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 21,691 shares of company stock valued at $7,780,127. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MPC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $224.00 to $260.00 in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Evercore set a $330.00 price objective on Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $284.00 to $304.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a report on Friday, June 12th. Finally, Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $330.50.

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.