Financial Partners Group LLC Has $331,000 Stock Holdings in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Financial Partners Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 6.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,374 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 154 shares during the quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $331,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 30.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,988 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $696,000 after purchasing an additional 1,178 shares in the last quarter. Apeiron RIA LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Apeiron RIA LLC now owns 2,136 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $298,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Secure Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth approximately $335,000. Avior Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 3.4% during the 4th quarter. Avior Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,171 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $303,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Finally, Mutual Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 70.8% in the 4th quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 9,777 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,483,000 after acquiring an additional 4,054 shares in the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on MPC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $167.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Raymond James upped their price target 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. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.20.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

Marathon Petroleum stock opened at $154.37 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $147.38 and a 200-day moving average of $158.72. The company has a market capitalization of $49.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.42. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 1 year low of $130.54 and a 1 year high of $221.11. 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 (NYSE:MPC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.90. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 3.15% and a return on equity of 16.19%. The firm had revenue of $35.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $8.14 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.88 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were given a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.36%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. This is a positive change from Marathon Petroleum’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is 28.84%.

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

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In other news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell bought 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $149.61 per share, with a total value of $897,660.00. Following the transaction, 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 position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.21% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.