Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC Trims Stake in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC cut its stake in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 12.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,950 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 290 shares during the period. Measured Wealth Private Client Group LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $289,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Bare Financial Services Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Mizuho reduced their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $202.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $221.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $193.62.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Petroleum

In related news, Director Kim K.W. Rucker sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.35, for a total transaction of $170,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 23,446 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,994,026.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

Marathon Petroleum stock traded down $0.40 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $182.55. 1,868,555 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,394,157. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.32 billion, a PE ratio of 9.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The business’s 50-day moving average is $194.18 and its 200-day moving average is $168.30. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 12-month low of $104.32 and a 12-month high of $221.11.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $2.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.25. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 25.87%. The company had revenue of $32.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $6.09 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 19.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.81%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.48%.

Marathon Petroleum announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, April 30th that allows the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the oil and gas company to reacquire up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.