Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) Shares Purchased by Nilsine Partners LLC

Nilsine Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 5.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 32,683 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,746 shares during the quarter. Nilsine Partners LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $4,559,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter valued at about $26,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Marathon Petroleum by 88.9% during the 3rd 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 grew its position 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 valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell bought 6,000 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $149.61 per share, for a total transaction of $897,660.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 6,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $911,124.90. This represents a 6,666.67 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Up 0.7 %

Marathon Petroleum stock opened at $152.69 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $49.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.23 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. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $147.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $158.52.

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

Marathon Petroleum declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, November 5th that permits the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the oil and gas company to reacquire up to 10% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be paid a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.84%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MPC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup cut their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $167.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $186.00 to $182.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Raymond James raised their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $190.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.20.

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.