Wills Financial Group LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC

Wills Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) by 16.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 13,944 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,992 shares during the quarter. Wills Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $2,268,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 30.9% during the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,988 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $696,000 after purchasing an additional 1,178 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 38.3% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 26,697 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $3,889,000 after buying an additional 7,396 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 26.6% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,221 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $369,000 after buying an additional 466 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the second quarter valued at approximately $8,505,000. Finally, AXA S.A. grew its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 46.7% during the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 39,675 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $6,590,000 after buying an additional 12,639 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Marathon Petroleum

Here are the key news stories impacting Marathon Petroleum this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Marathon Petroleum reported first-quarter earnings that beat expectations and recently expanded its share repurchase authorization to $8.6 billion, reinforcing confidence in cash generation and capital returns. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains constructive, with Marathon Petroleum included on a Zacks Strong Buy growth list and described as a strong value stock, supporting a favorable longer-term outlook. Article Title

Marathon Petroleum Stock Down 3.0%

Shares of NYSE MPC opened at $258.13 on Wednesday. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 1 year low of $158.00 and a 1 year high of $272.46. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $243.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $211.02. The company has a market cap of $75.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.85, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.91. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 16.22% and a net margin of 3.36%.The firm had revenue of $34.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.24) earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 30.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 20th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Petroleum

In related news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,626 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.18, for a total value of $371,020.68. Following the transaction, the insider owned 7,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,717,054.50. This trade represents a 17.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Michael A. Henschen II sold 6,336 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.82, for a total transaction of $1,703,243.52. Following the sale, the vice president owned 16,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,543,058. The trade was a 27.27% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 8,999 shares of company stock valued at $2,311,820. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on MPC. Weiss Ratings downgraded Marathon Petroleum from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $243.00 to $257.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $197.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $235.00 to $257.00 in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marathon Petroleum presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $268.50.

Marathon Petroleum Company Profile

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: MPC) is a U.S.-based downstream energy company engaged principally in the refining, marketing, supply and transportation of petroleum products. The company was formed through a spin-off from Marathon Oil in 2011 and operates an integrated system of refining and logistics assets that support the production and distribution of transportation fuels and other refined petroleum products.

Marathon Petroleum’s operations include refining crude oil into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt and other specialty products, as well as managing the distribution and storage infrastructure needed to move those products to market.