KBC Group NV Boosts Holdings in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) by 151.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 356,986 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 215,138 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV owned 0.11% of Marathon Petroleum worth $49,800,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MPC. Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake 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 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 about $30,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Down 3.1 %

Shares of Marathon Petroleum stock traded down $4.59 during trading on Friday, hitting $145.37. The stock had a trading volume of 1,556,794 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,709,859. The stock has a market cap of $46.72 billion, a PE ratio of 11.52, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.42. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 12 month low of $130.54 and a 12 month high of $221.11. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $146.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $158.23. 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 (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.90. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 16.19% and a net margin of 3.15%. The firm had revenue of $35.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.34 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $8.14 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.50%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. Marathon Petroleum's dividend payout ratio is currently 28.84%.

Marathon Petroleum announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, November 5th that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the oil and gas company to buy up to 10% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective 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. Barclays cut their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $170.00 price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Raymond James boosted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $190.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marathon Petroleum has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $181.20.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In other news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell acquired 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were bought at an average price of $149.61 per share, with a total value of $897,660.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,090 shares in the company, valued at $911,124.90. This trade represents a 6,666.67 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

Marathon Petroleum 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.