Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC Shares Acquired by Prudential PLC

Prudential PLC grew its position in Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) by 1,204.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 69,398 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 64,076 shares during the period. Prudential PLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $11,286,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MPC. Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 3rd quarter valued at about $2,891,000. Diversified Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 39.3% in the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 15,675 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,549,000 after purchasing an additional 4,419 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter valued at $1,004,000. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth $791,000. Finally, KKM Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 27.6% in the 3rd quarter. KKM Financial LLC now owns 26,202 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $5,050,000 after buying an additional 5,661 shares during the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Down 1.8%

MPC stock opened at $262.26 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $158.00 and a fifty-two week high of $272.46. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $242.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $210.01. The stock has a market cap of $76.56 billion, a PE ratio of 17.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 0.52.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.91. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 16.22%. The business had revenue of $34.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.42 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.24) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 30.05 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be issued a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 20th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Petroleum

In related news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,626 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.18, for a total value of $371,020.68. Following the sale, the insider owned 7,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,717,054.50. This trade represents a 17.77% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 4,473 shares of company stock valued at $1,015,428. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $255.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. UBS Group set a $285.00 price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $279.00 to $296.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marathon Petroleum currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $268.50.

About Marathon Petroleum

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: MPC) is a U.S.-based downstream energy company engaged principally in the refining, marketing, supply and transportation of petroleum products. The company was formed through a spin-off from Marathon Oil in 2011 and operates an integrated system of refining and logistics assets that support the production and distribution of transportation fuels and other refined petroleum products.

Marathon Petroleum’s operations include refining crude oil into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt and other specialty products, as well as managing the distribution and storage infrastructure needed to move those products to market.