Smartleaf Asset Management LLC Has $882,000 Stock Holdings in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 18.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 6,506 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 1,029 shares during the quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $882,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in Marathon Petroleum by 88.9% during the 3rd quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in Marathon Petroleum by 672.7% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marathon Petroleum news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell acquired 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $911,124.90. This 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 owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on MPC shares. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and issued a $170.00 price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Raymond James upped their price target 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.27.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Down 2.9 %

Shares of NYSE MPC opened at $145.75 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $46.84 billion, a PE ratio of 14.68, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.41. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 12-month low of $130.54 and a 12-month high of $221.11. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $148.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $155.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.71. The business had revenue of $33.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.94 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.45% and a return on equity of 12.07%. Marathon Petroleum’s revenue was down 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.98 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, November 5th that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the oil and gas company to repurchase up to 10% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio 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.