Zhang Financial LLC Has $1.42 Million Holdings in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Zhang Financial LLC boosted its holdings in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) by 22.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 10,154 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after buying an additional 1,830 shares during the quarter. Zhang Financial LLC's holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $1,416,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MPC. Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in 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 valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 672.7% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company's stock.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

MPC traded up $1.13 on Monday, hitting $152.83. The company had a trading volume of 2,479,994 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,802,449. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 1-year low of $130.54 and a 1-year high of $221.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 0.76. The company's fifty day moving average price is $147.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $159.10. The stock has a market cap of $49.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.42.

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

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

Marathon Petroleum Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell bought 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $149.61 per share, for a total transaction of $897,660.00. Following the purchase, 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 purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.21% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on MPC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $186.00 to $182.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 10th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Scotiabank decreased their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $191.00 to $170.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $170.00 price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $181.20.

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.