Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Cuts Position in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. trimmed its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 5.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 143,377 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 7,748 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $19,452,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Avestar Capital LLC raised its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 2,828 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. Hudock Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 13.0% in the 4th quarter. Hudock Inc. now owns 1,636 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $228,000 after buying an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 31.1% in the 4th quarter. Avidian Wealth Enterprises LLC now owns 13,671 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,907,000 after acquiring an additional 3,243 shares during the last quarter. Kentucky Trust Co purchased a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter worth about $93,000. Finally, Capital Advisors Inc. OK increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital Advisors Inc. OK now owns 5,599 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $781,000 after acquiring an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted 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. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Raymond James increased their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $190.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Tudor Pickering raised shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.27.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Shares of MPC stock opened at $156.11 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.41. 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 Co. has a twelve month low of $130.54 and a twelve month high of $221.11. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $146.00 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $157.08.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.71. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.45% and a return on equity of 12.07%. The company had revenue of $33.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.98 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be paid a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.66%.

Marathon Petroleum declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, November 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the oil and gas company to buy up to 10% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell purchased 6,000 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $149.61 per share, with a total value of $897,660.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $911,124.90. The trade was a 6,666.67 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.21% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Marathon Petroleum Company Profile

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.