Blue Trust Inc. Has $290,000 Stock Position in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Blue Trust Inc. decreased its position in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) by 66.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,076 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 4,099 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.'s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $290,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter valued at $26,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 88.9% during the third quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 672.7% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter valued at $33,000. 76.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell bought 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 6,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at $911,124.90. This represents a 6,666.67 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on MPC shares. Tudor Pickering raised Marathon Petroleum from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays reduced their price objective 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. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $170.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $181.27.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Down 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE MPC traded down $4.46 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $153.81. 1,996,223 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,718,004. The company's fifty day moving average is $146.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.49. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a fifty-two week low of $130.54 and a fifty-two week high of $221.11. The stock has a market cap of $49.43 billion, a PE ratio of 15.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.41. 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 (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.71. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 12.07% and a net margin of 2.45%. The company had revenue of $33.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.94 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.98 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum declared that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, November 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the oil and gas company to reacquire up to 10% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.37%. Marathon Petroleum's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.