Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. Sells 14,913 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc. reduced its stake in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) by 93.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,089 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 14,913 shares during the period. Thurston Springer Miller Herd & Titak Inc.'s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $152,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 0.9% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,165 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $1,268,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Paragon Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Paragon Capital Management Inc. now owns 10,196 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,769,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 1.6% in the third quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 4,285 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $698,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. American Trust boosted its position in Marathon Petroleum by 5.3% during the third quarter. American Trust now owns 1,397 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $228,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Financial Partners Group LLC grew its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 3.3% in the third quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC now owns 2,220 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $362,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Shares of Marathon Petroleum stock traded up $1.13 on Friday, reaching $152.83. 2,479,994 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,837,099. The firm's 50 day moving average is $147.78 and its 200-day moving average is $159.47. The firm has a market cap of $49.12 billion, a PE ratio of 12.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.23. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a one year low of $130.54 and a one year high of $221.11.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.90. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 16.19% and a net margin of 3.15%. The company had revenue of $35.37 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $8.14 EPS. Marathon Petroleum's revenue for the quarter was down 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were paid a $0.91 dividend. This is an increase from Marathon Petroleum's previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 20th. Marathon Petroleum's payout ratio is 28.84%.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on MPC shares. Raymond James increased their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $190.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Scotiabank lowered their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $191.00 to $170.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $167.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Piper Sandler dropped their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $145.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, September 20th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $181.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell acquired 6,000 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $149.61 per share, with a total value of $897,660.00. Following the transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.21% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.