Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) Shares Sold by Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. trimmed its position in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 19.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 15,891 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,760 shares during the quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $2,217,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. CWM LLC grew its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 20.6% during the third quarter. CWM LLC now owns 19,888 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,240,000 after buying an additional 3,399 shares during the period. Wedmont Private Capital lifted its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 6,426 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,113,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Perpetual Ltd boosted its position in Marathon Petroleum by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 4,348 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $708,000 after purchasing an additional 320 shares during the period. CCM Investment Advisers LLC increased its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. CCM Investment Advisers LLC now owns 83,965 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $13,679,000 after purchasing an additional 1,282 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Marathon Petroleum by 9.1% in the third quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 9,107 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,484,000 after purchasing an additional 762 shares during the period. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marathon Petroleum news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell purchased 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $149.61 per share, with a total value of $897,660.00. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.21% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on MPC. Bank of America started coverage on Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 target price for the company. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $190.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marathon Petroleum has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.27.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Down 1.2 %

NYSE:MPC opened at $150.13 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.25 billion, a PE ratio of 11.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.41. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 52 week low of $130.54 and a 52 week high of $221.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $146.03 and a 200-day moving average of $157.74.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.94 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $3.98 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.88 EPS for the current year.

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

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is 28.84%.

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.