Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC Shares Sold by AustralianSuper Pty Ltd

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd reduced its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) by 17.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 473,450 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 100,543 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $76,997,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Navalign LLC purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter valued at about $39,000. IAG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter worth about $39,000. Finally, WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the second quarter worth about $33,000. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Petroleum

In related news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,626 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.18, for a total value of $371,020.68. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,717,054.50. This trade represents a 17.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,473 shares of company stock worth $1,015,428. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MPC. Barclays raised their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Mizuho upped their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $205.00 to $224.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 17th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $255.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group set a $285.00 price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $259.44.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE MPC opened at $248.71 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $233.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $203.08. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 52-week low of $154.65 and a 52-week high of $261.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.23, a PEG ratio of 0.34 and a beta of 0.53.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.91. The company had revenue of $34.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $33.42 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 16.22%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.24) EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 28.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.6%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is 26.11%.

Marathon Petroleum News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Marathon Petroleum this week:

• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets raised its price target on Marathon Petroleum and reiterated an outperform view, signaling confidence in the stock’s upside. BMO Capital adjusts price target on Marathon Petroleum
• Positive Sentiment: Goldman Sachs said Marathon Petroleum could benefit from higher jet prices, which supports refining margins and earnings potential. Goldman Sachs Sees More Upside for Marathon Petroleum from Higher Jet Prices
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst fair-value estimates moved higher, showing that Wall Street is reassessing Marathon Petroleum’s earnings outlook more favorably. How The Marathon Petroleum Story Is Shifting As Analyst Views And Assumptions Evolve
• Positive Sentiment: A reported oil-market dislocation has created an arbitrage opportunity for refiners, including Marathon Petroleum, which could support near-term sector profitability. The Great SPR Arbitrage: An Oil Market Glitch Fuels Sector Gains
• Neutral Sentiment: Several articles noted that Marathon Petroleum has had a strong run over the past year, which may be prompting some investors to question whether much of the good news is already priced in. Has Marathon Petroleum Run Too Far After Strong 1-Year Share Price Rally?
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage-roundup pieces repeating that MPC is a stock to own are mostly sentiment-driven and do not add much new fundamental information. Brokers Suggest Investing in Marathon Petroleum (MPC): Read This Before Placing a Bet

Marathon Petroleum Company Profile

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: MPC) is a U.S.-based downstream energy company engaged principally in the refining, marketing, supply and transportation of petroleum products. The company was formed through a spin-off from Marathon Oil in 2011 and operates an integrated system of refining and logistics assets that support the production and distribution of transportation fuels and other refined petroleum products.

Marathon Petroleum’s operations include refining crude oil into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt and other specialty products, as well as managing the distribution and storage infrastructure needed to move those products to market.