Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Has $8.08 Million Stock Holdings in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd raised its stake in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 18.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 59,740 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 9,139 shares during the period. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $8,081,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in Marathon Petroleum by 1,037.7% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 12,207 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,118,000 after acquiring an additional 11,134 shares during the last quarter. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the second quarter worth about $67,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH increased its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 7.6% in the third quarter. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH now owns 4,898 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $798,000 after buying an additional 347 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division raised its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 635 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $103,000 after buying an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank boosted its position in Marathon Petroleum by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 68,178 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $11,107,000 after buying an additional 1,038 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In related 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 price of $149.61 per share, for a total transaction of $897,660.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 6,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $911,124.90. This trade represents a 6,666.67 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MPC has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Mizuho cut their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Barclays decreased their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Finally, Raymond James increased their target price 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marathon Petroleum currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.20.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

Shares of MPC opened at $145.37 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $146.52 and a 200-day moving average of $158.23. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a one year low of $130.54 and a one year high of $221.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The company has a market cap of $46.72 billion, a PE ratio of 11.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.42.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.90. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 16.19% and a net margin of 3.15%. The firm had revenue of $35.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $8.14 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

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