1,395 Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC Shares Sold by Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lowered its holdings in Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) by 3.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 34,522 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 1,395 shares during the quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $13,651,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter valued at about $6,648,958,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 2nd quarter worth about $1,029,611,000. Bank of America Corp DE bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 2nd quarter worth about $621,832,000. Legal & General Group Plc bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 2nd quarter worth about $380,745,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter valued at about $280,761,000. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE MPC opened at $428.27 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $125.03 billion, a PE ratio of 14.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.11 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 1 year low of $161.93 and a 1 year high of $493.98. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $420.48 and its 200-day moving average is $292.28.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The oil and gas company reported $26.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $25.37 by $1.56. The company had revenue of $56.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $46.60 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 5.48% and a return on equity of 31.96%. Marathon Petroleum’s revenue was up 57.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $3.01 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 64.12 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 18th will be issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 18th. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is currently 13.75%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marathon Petroleum news, insider Molly Benson sold 17,196 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.57, for a total transaction of $6,165,969.72. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 30,334 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,876,862.38. The trade was a 36.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Erin M. Brzezinski sold 570 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $362.79, for a total value of $206,790.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,576 shares in the company, valued at approximately $571,757.04. This trade represents a 26.56% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 21,691 shares of company stock valued at $7,780,127. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $450.00 to $478.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $376.00 to $472.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 21st. Raymond James Financial raised their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $350.00 to $445.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $318.00 to $518.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $424.31.

Key Headlines Impacting Marathon Petroleum

Here are the key news stories impacting Marathon Petroleum this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Adjusted earnings of $26.93 per share topped analyst expectations, while revenue reached about $56 billion. Profit surged from a year earlier as refining margins jumped and refineries operated at high utilization. Reuters article
• Positive Sentiment: MPC raised its quarterly dividend by 10% and reported $3.3 billion in capital returned during the quarter. The company also highlighted strong cash generation, which may support further investor payouts. Third-quarter results
• Neutral Sentiment: MPC agreed to sell its St. Paul Park and Mandan refineries and related businesses to CVR Energy in a transaction valued at about $4.2 billion, with MPC receiving $3.45 billion for refining assets and MPLX receiving $750 million. The sale advances a shift toward Gulf Coast investment and provides proceeds, but also reduces MPC’s refining footprint. Divestiture announcement
• Negative Sentiment: The scale of the earnings surge reflects exceptionally strong refining margins, which may not persist if fuel-supply constraints ease or margins normalize. That creates a risk that future results will fall from this quarter’s unusually high level. Refining margins analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Energy stocks broadly declined, creating pressure on MPC despite its strong results; the stock’s decline was less severe than some competitors’. MarketWatch article

Marathon Petroleum Profile

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) is an American downstream energy company engaged in refining, marketing, and transporting petroleum products. Its operations include converting crude oil into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt, propane, and other refined products used by transportation, industrial, and commercial customers.

The company markets fuel under the Marathon brand and supplies products to independent marketers, commercial businesses, and other wholesale customers. Marathon Petroleum also owns a general-partner interest and significant limited-partner interest in MPLX Inc, a midstream company that operates pipelines, storage facilities, terminals, and gathering and processing assets supporting the movement of crude oil and natural gas liquids.

Marathon Petroleum’s refining and midstream activities are concentrated in the United States, with assets serving regions across the Midwest, Gulf Coast, and West Coast.