Strategic Blueprint LLC Trims Stock Position in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Strategic Blueprint LLC lowered its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,907 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 74 shares during the quarter. Strategic Blueprint LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $824,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 1,037.7% during the 2nd quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 12,207 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,118,000 after buying an additional 11,134 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 3.8% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 39,288 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $6,816,000 after acquiring an additional 1,432 shares during the last quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter worth about $26,017,000. Paragon Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 0.6% in the 2nd quarter. Paragon Capital Management Inc. now owns 10,196 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,769,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 2nd quarter worth about $67,000. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Marathon Petroleum

In other news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell purchased 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $149.61 per share, for a total transaction of $897,660.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $911,124.90. The trade was a 6,666.67 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on MPC shares. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $167.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Bank of America began coverage on Marathon Petroleum in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 price target for the company. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, October 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.20.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Shares of MPC opened at $149.87 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market cap of $48.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.88, a PEG ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 1.42. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 52 week low of $130.54 and a 52 week high of $221.11. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $146.71 and a 200-day moving average of $158.29.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.90. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 3.15% and a return on equity of 16.19%. The company had revenue of $35.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.34 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $8.14 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.88 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, November 5th that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the oil and gas company to reacquire up to 10% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be issued a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.84%.

Marathon Petroleum Company 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.