Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Trims Stock Position in Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lessened its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) by 6.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 121,838 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 8,722 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $19,815,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 30.9% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,988 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $696,000 after purchasing an additional 1,178 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 38.3% in 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 buying an additional 7,396 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 26.6% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,221 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $369,000 after buying an additional 466 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter valued at about $8,505,000. Finally, AXA S.A. raised its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 46.7% during the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 39,675 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $6,590,000 after purchasing an additional 12,639 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Up 4.0%

MPC stock opened at $258.73 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $240.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $208.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $75.53 billion, a PE ratio of 16.89, a P/E/G ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 0.52. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 12 month low of $155.93 and a 12 month high of $264.14. 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 (NYSE:MPC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.91. The business had revenue of $34.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $33.42 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 16.22%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.24) earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 30.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be paid 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 1.5%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is presently 26.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MPC has been the subject of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $264.00 to $291.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $200.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Zacks Research raised shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 7th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Sunday, May 10th. Finally, UBS Group set a $285.00 target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $268.50.

Trending Headlines about Marathon Petroleum

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks named Marathon Petroleum one of its top-ranked growth stocks for June 1, putting MPC on a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) list. Best Growth Stocks to Buy for June 1st
• Positive Sentiment: Another Zacks feature highlighted MPC as a stock that could beat earnings in its upcoming report, reinforcing expectations for a favorable fundamental setup. Looking for Earnings Beat? Buy These 5 Top-Ranked Stocks
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary also described Wall Street sentiment as optimistic, with Marathon Petroleum’s average brokerage recommendation effectively at Buy. Is Marathon Petroleum (MPC) a Buy as Wall Street Analysts Look Optimistic?
• Positive Sentiment: Energy-sector outlook articles also listed MPC among oil stocks that could benefit from tighter supply and renewed strength in crude markets after Iran-U.S. peace talks collapsed. Oil Stocks Look Poised for Another Leg Higher
• Neutral Sentiment: Several roundup articles mentioned MPC alongside other energy names, but did not introduce any company-specific catalyst beyond broad sector positioning.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,810 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.78, for a total transaction of $406,851.80. Following the transaction, the insider owned 10,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,290,058.64. This represents a 15.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 4,473 shares of company stock worth $1,015,428 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

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.