157,776 Shares in Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC Acquired by NFJ Investment Group LLC

Key Points

• NFJ Investment Group LLC disclosed a new stake in Marathon Petroleum, buying 157,776 shares worth about $25.7 million in the fourth quarter. The position represented roughly 0.05% of the company.
• Marathon Petroleum’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with EPS of $1.65 versus the $0.74 consensus and revenue of $34.2 billion, up 8.5% year over year. Analysts now expect the company to post 31.05 EPS for the full year.
• Sentiment on MPC remains constructive: the stock has a Moderate Buy consensus rating and a consensus target price of $272.94, while recent dividend and analyst actions have also been positive. Marathon recently paid a $1.00 quarterly dividend and several firms raised price targets, including Wells Fargo to $344.

NFJ Investment Group LLC purchased a new position in Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 157,776 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $25,659,000. NFJ Investment Group LLC owned about 0.05% of Marathon Petroleum as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in MPC. Navalign LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.77% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on MPC. Mizuho increased their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $224.00 to $284.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 27th. UBS Group set a $285.00 target price on Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Marathon Petroleum from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, May 10th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $197.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marathon Petroleum currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $272.94.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

NYSE MPC opened at $263.10 on Friday. The business's fifty day moving average price is $244.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $212.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.17, a PEG ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 1-year low of $158.00 and a 1-year high of $272.46.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.91. The company had revenue of $34.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $33.42 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 16.22% and a net margin of 3.36%.Marathon Petroleum's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.24) EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 31.05 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 20th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Marathon Petroleum's payout ratio is 26.11%.

Trending Headlines about Marathon Petroleum

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

• Positive Sentiment: Marathon Petroleum was added to the Dow Jones Best-in-Class Indices after earning a top-quartile ESG score in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, which can support demand from sustainability-focused investors. Marathon Petroleum Named to Dow Jones Best-in-Class Indices
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on MPC to $344 from $335, signaling continued analyst confidence and implying meaningful upside from current levels. Wells Fargo adjusts Marathon Petroleum price target
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks added MPC to its Rank #1 (Strong Buy) growth stocks list, reinforcing the view that the company remains attractive for growth and momentum investors. Best Growth Stocks to Buy for June 12th
• Positive Sentiment: Another Zacks note highlighted MPC as a strong momentum stock, which may be helping traders bid the shares higher in the near term. What Makes Marathon Petroleum (MPC) a Strong Momentum Stock: Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor commentary across several articles argued that MPC screens as a potentially attractive buy based on valuation and refining fundamentals, but these pieces were opinion-driven rather than new company-specific announcements. Is Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) A Good Stock To Buy Now?

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Michael A. Henschen II sold 6,336 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction on Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.82, for a total transaction of $1,703,243.52. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 16,900 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,543,058. The trade was a 27.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Marathon Petroleum Company Profile

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.

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