Brokerages Set Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) Price Target at $172.93

Shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $175.29.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Mizuho boosted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $184.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Barclays boosted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $141.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $142.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 7th. Scotiabank decreased their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $169.00 to $147.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Raymond James decreased their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $193.00 to $183.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

Shares of MPC opened at $163.64 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.27 billion, a PE ratio of 16.48, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 0.87. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $138.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $145.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.23. Marathon Petroleum has a 1 year low of $115.10 and a 1 year high of $183.31.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The oil and gas company reported ($0.24) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.40) by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $31.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.91 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 12.07% and a net margin of 2.45%. Marathon Petroleum’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.58 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 21st will be given a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 21st. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.20%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Evan Bayh acquired 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $133.70 per share, with a total value of $133,700.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 69,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,266,078.50. This represents a 1.46% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Ricky D. Hessling acquired 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $134.72 per share, for a total transaction of $269,440.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider now directly owns 12,162 shares in the company, valued at $1,638,464.64. This trade represents a 19.68% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 994 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $139,000 after buying an additional 67 shares during the period. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. now owns 2,068 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $288,000 after buying an additional 68 shares during the period. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 4,271 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $596,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 21.5% during the 4th quarter. DT Investment Partners LLC now owns 395 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Avior Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.