Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) Receives $181.27 Average Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation, nine have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $181.27.

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MPC. Mizuho decreased their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Tudor Pickering upgraded Marathon Petroleum from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $170.00 price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Raymond James boosted 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 report on Friday, January 17th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell purchased 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $149.61 per share, for a total transaction of $897,660.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 6,090 shares in the company, 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 can be accessed through this link. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Gladius Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter worth $26,000. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 88.9% in the 3rd quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in Marathon Petroleum by 672.7% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Marathon Petroleum stock opened at $146.23 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $47.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.73, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.41. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $147.49 and its 200 day moving average is $156.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 0.76. Marathon Petroleum has a one year low of $130.54 and a one year high of $221.11.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $31.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.98 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, November 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the oil and gas company to reacquire up to 10% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

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 paid a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.66%.

About Marathon Petroleum

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.