Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) - What Are Investment Firms Saying About This Stock?

Key Points

• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive: Seventeen firms give Marathon Petroleum a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with an average 12-month price target of $425.12.
• Quarterly results beat expectations: MPC reported EPS of $26.93 versus $25.37 expected and revenue of $56.03 billion, up 57.6% year over year.
• Insiders have been selling shares: Company insiders sold 21,691 shares worth about $7.8 million over the past 90 days; institutional investors own 76.77% of the stock.

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the seventeen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $425.12.

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings raised Marathon Petroleum from a "buy (b)" rating to a "buy (b+)" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. UBS Group set a $510.00 price objective on Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Friday, October 9th. Zacks Research raised Marathon Petroleum from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 4th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and set a $433.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a report on Sunday, October 11th. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $321.00 to $488.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, October 12th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, 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. This represents a 26.56% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Molly R. 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 directly owned 30,334 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,876,862.38. This trade represents a 36.18% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 21,691 shares of company stock valued at $7,780,127. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marathon Petroleum

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 26.4% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 39,193 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $15,498,000 after buying an additional 8,186 shares during the period. Petix & Botte Co purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter valued at about $277,000. Ieq Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 40.1% during the 3rd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 35,629 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $14,088,000 after acquiring an additional 10,190 shares during the period. Focus Advisor Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 38.9% during the 3rd quarter. Focus Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 20,616 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $8,152,000 after acquiring an additional 5,775 shares during the period. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance grew its position in Marathon Petroleum by 18.5% during the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 10,647 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $4,195,000 after acquiring an additional 1,662 shares during the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

NYSE MPC opened at $389.90 on Wednesday. Marathon Petroleum has a 52-week low of $161.93 and a 52-week high of $493.98. The company has a fifty day moving average of $422.42 and a 200-day moving average of $297.48. The company has a market capitalization of $106.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.40, a P/E/G ratio of 0.10 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.10, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.45.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The oil and gas company reported $26.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $25.37 by $1.56. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 55.82% and a net margin of 8.27%. The business had revenue of $56.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $46.60 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.01 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 57.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum will post 66.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 18th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 18th. Marathon Petroleum's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.75%.

Marathon Petroleum Company Profile

Marathon Petroleum Corporation is an integrated downstream energy company focused on refining, marketing, and transporting petroleum products. Its refineries produce fuels and other products, including gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt, and petrochemical feedstocks. The company sells transportation fuels and related products through a network of branded locations and other wholesale and commercial channels, primarily in the United States. Its midstream operations, conducted largely through its affiliated partnership MPLX, include gathering, processing, and transporting natural gas and natural gas liquids, as well as storing and transporting crude oil and refined products.

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