Wills Financial Group LLC Buys 1,992 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC

Wills Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) by 16.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,944 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,992 shares during the period. Wills Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $2,268,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC raised its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 30.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,988 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $696,000 after buying an additional 1,178 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 38.3% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 26,697 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,889,000 after acquiring an additional 7,396 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 26.6% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,221 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $369,000 after acquiring an additional 466 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $8,505,000. Finally, AXA S.A. lifted its position in Marathon Petroleum by 46.7% in the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 39,675 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $6,590,000 after acquiring an additional 12,639 shares in the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marathon Petroleum news, VP Michael A. Henschen II sold 6,336 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.82, for a total value of $1,703,243.52. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 16,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,543,058. This represents a 27.27% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,626 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.18, for a total value of $371,020.68. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,525 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,717,054.50. This represents a 17.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 8,999 shares of company stock worth $2,311,820. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

MPC stock opened at $258.13 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 1 year low of $158.00 and a 1 year high of $272.46. The company has a market cap of $75.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 0.52. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $243.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $211.02.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.91. The company had revenue of $34.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.42 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 16.22% and a net margin of 3.36%.Marathon Petroleum’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.24) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 30.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be paid a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 20th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is 26.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on MPC shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Marathon Petroleum to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen raised Marathon Petroleum from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, May 10th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $255.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Zacks Research raised Marathon Petroleum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $264.00 to $291.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $268.50.

Marathon Petroleum News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Marathon Petroleum reported first-quarter earnings that beat expectations and recently expanded its share repurchase authorization to $8.6 billion, reinforcing confidence in cash generation and capital returns. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains constructive, with Marathon Petroleum included on a Zacks Strong Buy growth list and described as a strong value stock, supporting a favorable longer-term outlook. Article Title

About Marathon Petroleum

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.