Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. Grows Stake in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) by 233.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,000 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,700 shares during the quarter. Marathon Petroleum accounts for 0.9% of Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $2,930,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MPC. Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter worth $26,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. 76.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell bought 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $149.61 per share, with a total value of $897,660.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at $911,124.90. This trade represents a 6,666.67 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on MPC shares. Raymond James upped their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $190.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays decreased their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $181.27.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Shares of MPC traded down $1.25 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $152.49. The stock had a trading volume of 1,709,524 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,802,539. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.01 billion, a PE ratio of 15.44, a PEG ratio of 3.11 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.23. The company's 50-day moving average is $146.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.40.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.71. The company had revenue of $33.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $31.94 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 12.07% and a net margin of 2.45%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $3.98 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum declared that its board has authorized a stock 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 an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.39%. Marathon Petroleum's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.66%.

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.