Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) Shares Sold by Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lessened its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) by 90.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,960 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 19,104 shares during the quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd's holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $273,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MPC. Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake 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 last quarter. 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 buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.77% of the company's stock.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Down 5.2 %

Shares of MPC traded down $7.44 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $135.18. 4,744,871 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,883,139. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 52-week low of $130.54 and a 52-week high of $221.11. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $148.53 and a 200 day simple moving average of $154.95. The firm has a market cap of $43.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.61, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.23.

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

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

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be issued a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.69%. Marathon Petroleum's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MPC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho lowered their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Barclays lowered their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating and issued a $170.00 target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Raymond James upped their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $190.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Tudor Pickering raised Marathon Petroleum from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $181.27.

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.