Cullen Investment Group LTD. Acquires 4,284 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Cullen Investment Group LTD. raised its stake in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) by 8.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 55,084 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,284 shares during the quarter. Marathon Petroleum accounts for about 1.3% of Cullen Investment Group LTD.'s portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. Cullen Investment Group LTD.'s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $8,974,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MPC. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Marathon Petroleum by 400.0% in the 1st quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Vima LLC bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company's stock.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Shares of MPC stock traded down $2.86 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $171.98. The stock had a trading volume of 2,241,691 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,697,056. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $169.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $178.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.59 billion, a PE ratio of 8.59, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.37. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 12 month low of $139.93 and a 12 month high of $221.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The oil and gas company reported $4.12 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.09 by $1.03. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 4.79% and a return on equity of 24.05%. The firm had revenue of $38.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $36.66 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $5.32 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 10.56 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st were issued a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.92%. Marathon Petroleum's payout ratio is currently 16.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on MPC shares. Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. cut Marathon Petroleum from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $186.00 to $172.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Tudor Pickering downgraded Marathon Petroleum from a "strong-buy" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $196.00 to $182.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $196.14.

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.