Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $200.00.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MPC shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $214.00 to $213.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 3rd. TD Cowen decreased their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $190.00 to $182.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 6th. Raymond James Financial set a $200.00 price objective on Marathon Petroleum in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Wolfe Research lowered Marathon Petroleum from an “outperform” rating to a “peer perform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 14th.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Molly R. Benson sold 10,879 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.00, for a total value of $1,773,277.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 28,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,678,100. This trade represents a 27.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of MPC. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Activest Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 290.2% in the second quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 1,546.2% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 214 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the period. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the first quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the first quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

MPC stock opened at $193.78 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $187.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $171.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.32 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.78 and a beta of 0.90. Marathon Petroleum has a 1 year low of $115.10 and a 1 year high of $201.61.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The oil and gas company reported $3.01 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $34.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.06 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 9.76% and a net margin of 2.13%. Analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 19th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 19th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is a boost from Marathon Petroleum’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.91. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is presently 54.01%.

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.