Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC trimmed its stake in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 2.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 157,131 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 4,363 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $21,920,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gladius Capital Management LP bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 672.7% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. 76.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Up 3.1 %

Shares of MPC stock opened at $141.23 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $44.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.39. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a twelve month low of $130.54 and a twelve month high of $221.11. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $148.36 and a 200 day moving average of $152.93. 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 (NYSE:MPC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.71. The firm had revenue of $33.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.94 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 12.07% and a net margin of 2.45%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.98 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th were given a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 19th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MPC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $159.00 to $161.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Raymond James raised their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $190.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $182.13.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Petroleum

In other news, insider Ricky D. Hessling acquired 2,000 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $134.72 per share, with a total value of $269,440.00. Following the purchase, the insider now owns 12,162 shares in the company, valued at $1,638,464.64. This trade represents a 19.68 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Evan Bayh acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $133.70 per share, with a total value of $133,700.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 69,305 shares in the company, valued at $9,266,078.50. This represents a 1.46 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

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.