Wealthstar Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 4,000 Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Wealthstar Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 4,000 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $558,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gladius Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 88.9% in the 3rd quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter worth $33,000. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In related news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell purchased 6,000 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $149.61 per share, for a total transaction of $897,660.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,090 shares in the company, valued at $911,124.90. The trade was a 6,666.67 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Shares of Marathon Petroleum stock opened at $150.13 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $145.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $157.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.25 billion, a PE ratio of 15.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 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 has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.71. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.45% and a return on equity of 12.07%. The firm had revenue of $33.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.94 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $3.98 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, November 5th that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the oil and gas company to repurchase up to 10% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.42%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 36.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen reissued 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 price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 price objective for the company. Raymond James increased their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $190.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.27.

Marathon Petroleum Company Profile

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.