Yaupon Capital Management LP Makes New Investment in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Yaupon Capital Management LP bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm bought 225,211 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $31,417,000. Marathon Petroleum accounts for approximately 1.3% of Yaupon Capital Management LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Yaupon Capital Management LP owned 0.07% of Marathon Petroleum as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of MPC. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Asset Planning Inc purchased a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. grew its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 762.9% in the fourth quarter. Cape Investment Advisory Inc. now owns 302 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 267 shares during the period. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company's stock.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

MPC traded up $0.06 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $137.60. The company had a trading volume of 1,681,149 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,714,083. The business has a 50-day moving average of $139.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $146.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 1 year low of $115.10 and a 1 year high of $201.36. The company has a market cap of $42.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.86, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.04.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last released its 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. The company had revenue of $33.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $31.94 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.45% and a return on equity of 12.07%. The firm's revenue was down 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $3.98 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th were paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 19th. Marathon Petroleum's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $160.00 to $156.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. Scotiabank dropped their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $169.00 to $147.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $185.00 to $175.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $161.00 to $141.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $174.21.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Ricky D. Hessling bought 2,000 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $134.72 per share, with a total value of $269,440.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now owns 12,162 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,638,464.64. This trade represents a 19.68 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Evan Bayh bought 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $133.70 per share, for a total transaction of $133,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 69,305 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,266,078.50. This represents a 1.46 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.