swisspartners Advisors Ltd Buys 220 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

swisspartners Advisors Ltd grew its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 1.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,725 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 220 shares during the period. Marathon Petroleum makes up 2.5% of swisspartners Advisors Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th biggest position. swisspartners Advisors Ltd’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $3,213,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 400.0% during the 1st quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the first quarter worth $29,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Wellington Shields & Co. LLC bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the 1st quarter worth about $40,000. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $198.00 to $193.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $222.00 to $231.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $180.00 to $168.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Thursday, July 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $200.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.00.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MPC traded down $2.34 on Friday, hitting $143.13. The company had a trading volume of 2,149,700 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,668,702. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $162.57 and a 200 day moving average price of $171.55. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The stock has a market cap of $47.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.37. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 1-year low of $140.98 and a 1-year high of $221.11.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The oil and gas company reported $4.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.09 by $1.03. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 4.79% and a return on equity of 24.05%. The firm had revenue of $38.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.66 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $5.32 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.71 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be issued a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.54%. This is a positive change from Marathon Petroleum’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.34%.

Marathon Petroleum 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.