Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) Shares Sold by Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC

Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) by 31.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,874 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 4,071 shares during the period. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC's holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $1,238,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 378.9% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 3,338 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $579,000 after purchasing an additional 2,641 shares during the period. Edgestream Partners L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 271.7% in the second quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P. now owns 15,686 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $2,721,000 after acquiring an additional 11,466 shares during the period. Denali Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 15.2% during the second quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 3,800 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $659,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 12.8% in the 2nd quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 54,420 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $9,441,000 after acquiring an additional 6,172 shares during the period. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its position in Marathon Petroleum by 7.0% in the 2nd quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 182,723 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $31,700,000 after purchasing an additional 11,882 shares during the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

MPC stock traded down $0.21 during trading on Thursday, reaching $151.74. 1,862,142 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,872,804. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.23. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $147.82 and its 200 day moving average price is $159.52. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 52-week low of $130.54 and a 52-week high of $221.11. The company has a market cap of $48.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.02, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.42.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $35.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $8.14 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was down 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.40%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. This is an increase from Marathon Petroleum's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Marathon Petroleum's payout ratio is 28.84%.

Marathon Petroleum declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, November 5th that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the oil and gas company to reacquire up to 10% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on MPC shares. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $167.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $186.00 to $182.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $170.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marathon Petroleum has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $183.73.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell purchased 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $149.61 per share, with a total value of $897,660.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, 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 position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

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.