US Bancorp DE Reduces Stock Holdings in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

US Bancorp DE cut its holdings in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,911,303 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 37,967 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE owned 0.59% of Marathon Petroleum worth $266,627,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter worth about $26,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 88.9% during the 3rd quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 672.7% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter worth $30,000. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Down 2.9 %

Shares of Marathon Petroleum stock traded down $4.37 on Monday, hitting $145.81. 1,490,949 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,789,262. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 52 week low of $130.54 and a 52 week high of $221.11. The company has a market cap of $46.86 billion, a PE ratio of 14.69, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.41. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $148.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $155.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.71. The business had revenue of $33.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $31.94 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 12.07% and a net margin of 2.45%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $3.98 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

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

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.50%. Marathon Petroleum's payout ratio is presently 36.66%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell acquired 6,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were bought at an average price of $149.61 per share, with a total value of $897,660.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 6,090 shares in the company, valued at $911,124.90. This trade represents a 6,666.67 % increase in their ownership of the stock. 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on MPC. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays dropped their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $159.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Tudor Pickering upgraded Marathon Petroleum from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Raymond James increased their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $190.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.