Leonard Rickey Investment Advisors P.L.L.C. Increases Holdings in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Leonard Rickey Investment Advisors P.L.L.C. raised its stake in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 7.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,510 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the quarter. Leonard Rickey Investment Advisors P.L.L.C.’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $211,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MPC. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,165 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,268,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. Paragon Capital Management Inc. grew its position in Marathon Petroleum by 0.6% in the second quarter. Paragon Capital Management Inc. now owns 10,196 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,769,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 1.6% during the third quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 4,285 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $698,000 after purchasing an additional 67 shares during the period. American Trust lifted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 5.3% during the third quarter. American Trust now owns 1,397 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $228,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Financial Partners Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 3.3% in the third quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC now owns 2,220 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $362,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE MPC opened at $152.83 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $49.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.42. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $147.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $159.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 12-month low of $130.54 and a 12-month high of $221.11.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.90. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 3.15% and a return on equity of 16.19%. The company had revenue of $35.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $8.14 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.88 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 20th. This is a boost from Marathon Petroleum’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is 28.84%.

Marathon Petroleum announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program 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 repurchase up to 10% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $167.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $170.00 price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $190.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday. Bank of America initiated coverage on Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 target price for the company. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.20.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In related news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell acquired 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $149.61 per share, for a total transaction of $897,660.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,090 shares in the company, valued at $911,124.90. This trade represents a 6,666.67 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible 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.