Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seventeen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation, nine have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $181.27.

MPC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Raymond James boosted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $190.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and set a $170.00 target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Shares of MPC traded up $1.76 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $148.06. 2,422,011 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,824,386. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.59 billion, a PE ratio of 14.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.41. Marathon Petroleum has a fifty-two week low of $130.54 and a fifty-two week high of $221.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $147.49 and a 200 day simple moving average of $156.00.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.71. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 12.07% and a net margin of 2.45%. The firm had revenue of $33.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $3.98 EPS. Marathon Petroleum's revenue for the quarter was down 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be issued a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. Marathon Petroleum's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.66%.

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

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In other Marathon Petroleum news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell purchased 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $149.61 per share, for a total transaction of $897,660.00. Following the purchase, the director now 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.21% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marathon Petroleum

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC increased 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 worth $28,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in 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 worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.77% 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.