Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC Shares Sold by MCF Advisors LLC

MCF Advisors LLC decreased its position in Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) by 87.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 511 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,586 shares during the period. MCF Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $131,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of MPC. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 36,834.6% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 128,810,637 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $32,933,016,000 after purchasing an additional 128,461,884 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter valued at approximately $6,648,958,000. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 17,934,327 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,916,660,000 after purchasing an additional 47,896 shares during the period. Boston Partners increased its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 2.3% in the third quarter. Boston Partners now owns 6,305,428 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,214,522,000 after buying an additional 141,691 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,029,611,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Marathon Petroleum stock opened at $396.23 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $335.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $273.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $115.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.62, a PEG ratio of 0.25 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 52-week low of $161.93 and a 52-week high of $409.11.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The oil and gas company reported $17.73 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $14.27 by $3.46. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 5.48% and a return on equity of 31.96%. The firm had revenue of $51.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $40.87 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.96 earnings per share. Marathon Petroleum’s quarterly revenue was up 53.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 47.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 19th. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is currently 13.75%.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In other Marathon Petroleum news, insider Molly R. Benson sold 17,196 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.57, for a total transaction of $6,165,969.72. Following the transaction, the insider owned 30,334 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,876,862.38. The trade was a 36.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Erin M. Brzezinski sold 570 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the vice president owned 1,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $571,757.04. The trade was a 26.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 21,691 shares of company stock worth $7,780,127 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Marathon Petroleum

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

• Positive Sentiment: Marathon Petroleum’s strong second-quarter results continue to support the stock. The company reported $5.1 billion in attributable net income, or $17.73 per diluted share, versus the $14.27 analyst consensus, along with $8.5 billion in adjusted EBITDA. It also returned $2.8 billion to shareholders, reinforcing its cash-generation and capital-return story. Marathon Petroleum gains as stronger refining backdrop and analyst optimism lift shares
• Positive Sentiment: A recent analyst upgrade to the price target reflects expectations that refining-margin normalization may be slower than previously anticipated. Brokerage commentary and articles describing MPC as a value or potentially attractive long-term investment may also be supporting sentiment. Marathon Petroleum is considered a good investment by brokers
• Positive Sentiment: Recent institutional activity remains substantial, with major investors including JPMorgan, BlackRock and Sixth Street Partners adding MPC shares during the second quarter. Government contract payments, including naval distillate awards, provide a modest additional demand-related positive.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional positioning is mixed: 850 investors added shares while 892 reduced positions. This suggests continued interest in MPC but also significant profit-taking after its strong run.
• Negative Sentiment: Insiders have reported 11 open-market sales and no purchases over the past six months. Members of Congress also reported sales, which may raise caution about valuation, although these transactions are not necessarily indicative of operating fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: The stock’s recent closing decline and its elevated valuation relative to many published targets could limit upside. Quiver Quantitative lists a six-month median analyst target of $270, well below the current trading range, highlighting the risk that refining margins or energy prices normalize.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MPC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Raymond James Financial increased their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, July 13th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $357.00 to $375.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $303.00 to $318.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 4th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $344.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $330.50.

About Marathon Petroleum

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) is an integrated downstream energy company engaged primarily in refining, marketing and transporting petroleum products. The company converts crude oil and other feedstocks into gasoline, diesel and other transportation fuels, as well as asphalt, propane, petrochemical feedstocks and related products.

Marathon Petroleum operates a network of refineries in the United States and markets refined products through wholesale channels, branded retail locations and commercial customers.