Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) Shares Sold by Stephens Inc. AR

Stephens Inc. AR trimmed its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 9.8% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 8,903 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 967 shares during the period. Stephens Inc. AR’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $1,450,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Founders Financial Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 22.8% during the second quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 4,972 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $863,000 after purchasing an additional 924 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the 1st quarter worth $97,000. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Marathon Petroleum by 353.4% in the 2nd quarter. Magnolia Capital Advisors LLC now owns 55,989 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $9,713,000 after buying an additional 43,639 shares during the last quarter. Granite Bay Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the second quarter valued at about $4,075,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the second quarter worth about $513,000. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MPC opened at $144.94 on Tuesday. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 12-month low of $140.98 and a 12-month high of $221.11. The company has a market cap of $48.51 billion, a PE ratio of 7.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.38. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $162.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $170.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The oil and gas company reported $4.12 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.09 by $1.03. The company had revenue of $38.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.66 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 24.05% and a net margin of 4.79%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $5.32 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.71 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th 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 2.51%. This is an increase from Marathon Petroleum’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is 19.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MPC has been the topic of several analyst reports. Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. downgraded Marathon Petroleum from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $196.00 to $182.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $167.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.00.

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.