First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. Has $4.46 Million Position in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lessened its stake in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) by 9.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,974 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 3,360 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.'s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $4,460,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Gladius Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 88.9% in the third quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 672.7% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MPC has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $191.00 to $170.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Mizuho reduced their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $186.00 to $182.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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 report on Wednesday, October 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $181.20.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In other Marathon Petroleum news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell purchased 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $149.61 per share, for a total transaction of $897,660.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $911,124.90. This represents a 6,666.67 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

Shares of Marathon Petroleum stock traded down $2.88 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $151.43. The company had a trading volume of 4,318,848 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,236,087. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $147.18 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $158.55. The stock has a market cap of $48.67 billion, a PE ratio of 12.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 0.76. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 1-year low of $130.54 and a 1-year high of $221.11.

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

Marathon Petroleum Increases Dividend

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

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

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.