Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. Lowers Position in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. lowered its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 4.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,121 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 211 shares during the period. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $671,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 400.0% in the first quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter valued at about $35,000. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Wellington Shields & Co. LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the first quarter worth $40,000. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MPC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $198.00 to $193.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $180.00 to $168.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Scotiabank dropped their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $191.00 to $170.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. cut shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.00.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Shares of MPC stock opened at $158.30 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $167.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $175.65. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The company has a market capitalization of $55.77 billion, a PE ratio of 7.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.37. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a twelve month low of $140.98 and a twelve month high of $221.11.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The oil and gas company reported $4.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.09 by $1.03. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 24.05% and a net margin of 4.79%. The company had revenue of $38.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $5.32 EPS. Marathon Petroleum’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 10.22 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st were given a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.08%. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is currently 16.48%.

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.