Bank & Trust Co Sells 79 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Bank & Trust Co trimmed its position in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 0.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,145 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 79 shares during the period. Marathon Petroleum makes up approximately 1.3% of Bank & Trust Co’s holdings, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Bank & Trust Co’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $1,555,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MPC. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 0.9% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,165 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,268,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Paragon Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Paragon Capital Management Inc. now owns 10,196 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,769,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC grew its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 2,417 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $419,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 4,285 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $698,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Finally, American Trust boosted its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 5.3% during the third quarter. American Trust now owns 1,397 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $228,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Shares of MPC traded up $1.20 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $141.73. 866,745 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,412,918. 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 firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $148.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $160.82. The stock has a market cap of $45.55 billion, a PE ratio of 11.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.42. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 12 month low of $130.54 and a 12 month high of $221.11.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.87 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $8.14 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 9.47 EPS for the current year.

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

Marathon Petroleum Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. This is an increase from Marathon Petroleum’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.57%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.84%.

Insider Activity

In other Marathon Petroleum news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell purchased 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $149.61 per share, for a total transaction of $897,660.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $911,124.90. This represents a 6,666.67 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.21% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $191.00 to $170.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $196.00 to $182.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. lowered Marathon Petroleum from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marathon Petroleum presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $184.00.

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.