Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Stock Price Down 4.3% - Should You Sell?

Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) shares were down 4.3% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $135.66 and last traded at $136.43. Approximately 352,305 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 87% from the average daily volume of 2,776,035 shares. The stock had previously closed at $142.62.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on MPC shares. Mizuho decreased their price objective 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. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $160.00 to $156.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays reduced their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Tudor Pickering upgraded Marathon Petroleum from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $182.00.

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Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The company has a market capitalization of $42.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.39. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $148.61 and a 200 day simple moving average of $154.16.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.71. The company had revenue of $33.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.94 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.45% and a return on equity of 12.07%. The firm's revenue was down 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.98 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. Marathon Petroleum's payout ratio is 36.66%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marathon Petroleum news, Director Evan Bayh bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were bought at an average price of $133.70 per share, with a total value of $133,700.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 69,305 shares in the company, valued at $9,266,078.50. This trade represents a 1.46 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.21% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MPC. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 78.1% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,961,503 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,389,630,000 after purchasing an additional 4,367,774 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 4,803,951 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $670,151,000 after buying an additional 315,786 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 11.5% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,399,977 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $613,624,000 after acquiring an additional 452,043 shares during the last quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC grew its position in Marathon Petroleum by 16,338.3% in the fourth quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 4,177,133 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $582,710,000 after acquiring an additional 4,151,722 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 3,937,348 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $549,260,000 after acquiring an additional 484,438 shares during the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.