Anchor Capital Advisors LLC Sells 373 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Anchor Capital Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 73,019 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 373 shares during the quarter. Anchor Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $10,186,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MPC opened at $148.06 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $47.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.91, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.41. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a twelve month low of $130.54 and a twelve month high of $221.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The company has a 50 day moving average of $147.82 and a 200 day moving average of $155.94.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.71. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 12.07% and a net margin of 2.45%. The firm had revenue of $33.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.94 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.98 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, November 5th that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the oil and gas company to purchase up to 10% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is presently 36.66%.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In related news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell bought 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were bought 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $911,124.90. This trade represents a 6,666.67 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on MPC. Raymond James upped their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $190.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays reduced their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $170.00 target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.27.

About Marathon Petroleum

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.