Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) Shares Sold by Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. trimmed its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) by 53.9% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 242,516 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 283,593 shares during the quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned 0.07% of Marathon Petroleum worth $39,508,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter worth about $30,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the second quarter worth approximately $35,000. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Wellington Shields & Co. LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the 1st quarter worth approximately $40,000. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Tudor Pickering cut shares of Marathon Petroleum from a "strong-buy" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, September 9th. Scotiabank lowered their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $191.00 to $170.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Citigroup cut their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $167.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Marathon Petroleum in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $174.00 price target for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $185.67.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

MPC stock traded up $5.64 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $155.20. The company had a trading volume of 3,093,575 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,406,289. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $161.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $170.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.90, a current ratio of 1.31 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. The firm has a market cap of $51.94 billion, a PE ratio of 8.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.38. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 1-year low of $140.98 and a 1-year high of $221.11.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.90. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 24.05% and a net margin of 4.79%. The business had revenue of $35.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.34 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $8.14 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th will be paid a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.35%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 20th. This is a boost from Marathon Petroleum's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. Marathon Petroleum's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.34%.

Marathon Petroleum declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, November 5th that permits the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the oil and gas company to purchase up to 10% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.