Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation, nine have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $181.27.

MPC has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays dropped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 price target on the stock. Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $190.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Scotiabank reduced their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $191.00 to $170.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:MPC opened at $157.22 on Thursday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $146.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $157.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. Marathon Petroleum has a 12-month low of $130.54 and a 12-month high of $221.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.41.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.71. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 16.19% and a net margin of 3.15%. The firm had revenue of $33.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.94 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.98 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum will post 8.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, November 5th that permits the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the oil and gas company to repurchase up to 10% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.66%.

Insider Activity at Marathon Petroleum

In other news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell acquired 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were bought at an average price of $149.61 per share, with a total value of $897,660.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 6,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $911,124.90. This trade represents a 6,666.67 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MPC. Gladius Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 88.9% during the third quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 672.7% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.