TCW Group Inc. Cuts Position in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

TCW Group Inc. trimmed its position in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) by 45.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 24,322 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 20,138 shares during the period. TCW Group Inc.'s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $3,393,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 1,204.8% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 543,062 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $75,757,000 after purchasing an additional 501,441 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 27.7% during the third quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 43,174 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $7,033,000 after buying an additional 9,355 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB raised its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 747.3% in the third quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB now owns 21,275 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $3,466,000 after buying an additional 18,764 shares during the last quarter. Holistic Planning LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter worth about $912,000. Finally, World Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 4,227.5% in the third quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC now owns 69,759 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $11,364,000 after buying an additional 68,147 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.77% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marathon Petroleum news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell acquired 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $149.61 per share, for a total transaction of $897,660.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 6,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $911,124.90. This trade represents a 6,666.67 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.21% of the company's stock.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of Marathon Petroleum stock traded up $1.76 on Thursday, reaching $148.06. The company had a trading volume of 2,422,011 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,824,386. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.23. The firm has a market cap of $47.59 billion, a PE ratio of 14.91, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.41. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $147.49 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $156.00. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 52-week low of $130.54 and a 52-week high of $221.11.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.77 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 company had revenue of $33.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $31.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $3.98 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. Marathon Petroleum's dividend payout ratio is currently 36.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on MPC shares. Raymond James increased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $190.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. Tudor Pickering raised Marathon Petroleum from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $170.00 target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Mizuho reduced their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, December 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $181.27.

Marathon Petroleum 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.