National Pension Service Sells 174,487 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

National Pension Service lowered its position in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 17.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 802,763 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 174,487 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $111,985,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of MPC. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 10.6% in the third quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 3,005 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $491,000 after acquiring an additional 287 shares during the period. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 34.0% in the third quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,235 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $342,000 after acquiring an additional 567 shares during the period. Valmark Advisers Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 8.7% in the third quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 3,074 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $501,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares during the period. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 30.9% in the third quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 436 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Pinnacle Associates Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 20.4% in the third quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 42,389 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $6,289,000 after acquiring an additional 7,196 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Shares of Marathon Petroleum stock opened at $146.23 on Thursday. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 52 week low of $130.54 and a 52 week high of $221.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $147.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $156.00. The company has a market capitalization of $47.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.73, a PEG ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.41.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.71. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 12.07% and a net margin of 2.45%. The firm had revenue of $33.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.94 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.98 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, November 5th that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the oil and gas company to purchase up to 10% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be issued a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.49%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 36.66%.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In related news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell acquired 6,000 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $149.61 per share, with a total value of $897,660.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $911,124.90. The trade was a 6,666.67 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Tudor Pickering raised Marathon Petroleum from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, December 16th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Barclays lowered their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $190.00 to $192.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.27.

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.