National Pension Service Sells 174,487 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

National Pension Service lessened its stake in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) by 17.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 802,763 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 174,487 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service owned 0.25% of Marathon Petroleum worth $111,985,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sitrin Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Sitrin Capital Management LLC now owns 31,826 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $4,440,000 after buying an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. Denali Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 25.0% during the fourth quarter. Denali Advisors LLC now owns 3,500 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $488,000 after purchasing an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC grew its position in Marathon Petroleum by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 4,271 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $596,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter valued at $4,600,000. Finally, Horizon Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in Marathon Petroleum by 7.0% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Advisory Services Inc. now owns 1,842 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $257,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on MPC shares. Mizuho decreased their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Tudor Pickering raised Marathon Petroleum from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $170.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $181.27.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

MPC traded up $2.09 during trading on Friday, hitting $150.07. The stock had a trading volume of 3,007,752 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,829,086. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $148.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $155.62. The firm has a market cap of $48.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.11, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.41. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a one year low of $130.54 and a one year high of $221.11. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.71. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 12.07% and a net margin of 2.45%. The business had revenue of $33.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.94 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.98 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. Marathon Petroleum's dividend payout ratio is presently 36.66%.

Marathon Petroleum announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, November 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the oil and gas company to buy up to 10% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell purchased 6,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 acquisition, the director now owns 6,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at $911,124.90. This trade represents a 6,666.67 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.21% 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.