3,527 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC Purchased by VMS Asset Management Limited

Key Points

• VMS Asset Management purchased 3,527 Marathon Petroleum shares during the third quarter, valued at approximately $1.395 million. Institutional investors collectively own 76.77% of MPC.
• Marathon Petroleum reported quarterly EPS of $17.73, exceeding estimates of $14.27, while revenue rose 53.5% year over year to $51.99 billion. The company also maintains a $1.00 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 0.8% annual yield.
• MPC has attracted mostly positive analyst sentiment, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and a $417.88 average price target, although insiders sold more than $7.78 million of stock over the past 90 days and some investors have raised valuation concerns after the sharp rally.

VMS Asset Management Limited bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 3,527 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $1,395,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Energy Income Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 2nd quarter valued at about $4,912,000. Evolve Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter valued at about $673,000. Railway Pension Investments Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,886,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA boosted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 31.0% in the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 213,545 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $52,146,000 after buying an additional 50,521 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky boosted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 570.7% in the first quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 168,644 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $41,180,000 after buying an additional 143,500 shares during the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

MPC stock opened at $484.44 on Thursday. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 1 year low of $161.93 and a 1 year high of $485.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $141.43 billion, a PE ratio of 16.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.15 and a beta of 0.54. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $390.48 and a 200-day simple moving average of $306.16.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last released 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 return on equity of 31.96% and a net margin of 5.48%. The business had revenue of $51.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $40.87 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.96 EPS. The company's revenue was up 53.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 61.17 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Marathon Petroleum's payout ratio is currently 13.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MPC shares. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $410.00 to $426.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Evercore set a $330.00 target price on Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. TD Cowen raised their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $357.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. UBS Group set a $510.00 price target on Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Friday, October 9th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Marathon Petroleum from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, September 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $417.88.

Marathon Petroleum News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $488, indicating continued confidence in Marathon Petroleum’s outlook and leaving modest implied upside from recent levels. Barclays raises Marathon Petroleum stock target to USD 488.00
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup lifted its target sharply to $518 from $318. Although Citi maintained a neutral rating, the higher valuation reflects improved expectations for the refiner’s earnings and cash generation. Marathon Petroleum stock 10-month winning streak
• Positive Sentiment: MPC is being highlighted alongside BP, PBF and Valero as a relatively low-beta energy stock that may provide resilience amid elevated oil prices, Middle East tensions and broader market volatility. Stay Ahead of Market Swings With BP, PBF, VLO & MPC
• Positive Sentiment: Technical momentum remains strong: the stock is approaching a potential 10-month winning streak, a pattern last seen in 2013, while the refining ETF CRAK has posted substantial gains this year. Marathon Petroleum stock 10-month winning streak
• Neutral Sentiment: DBS reiterated a Hold rating, suggesting the firm sees balanced upside and downside after MPC’s substantial rally. DBS Keeps Their Hold Rating on Marathon Petroleum
• Negative Sentiment: Investors are questioning whether MPC’s share price still reflects reasonable intrinsic value based on future cash flow after an approximately sevenfold five-year return. This raises the risk that valuation, rather than fundamentals, could weigh on the stock. Can Marathon Petroleum Still Justify Its Price On Cash Flow?

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marathon Petroleum news, insider Molly Benson sold 17,196 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 30,334 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,876,862.38. This represents a 36.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Erin M. Brzezinski sold 570 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $362.79, for a total transaction of $206,790.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 1,576 shares in the company, valued at approximately $571,757.04. This trade represents a 26.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 21,691 shares of company stock worth $7,780,127 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Marathon Petroleum Company Profile

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, jet fuel, asphalt, propane and other refined products used by consumers, businesses and industrial customers.

Marathon Petroleum operates refineries and related logistics assets in the United States, with a refining and marketing presence serving markets across the Midwest, Gulf Coast and West Coast.

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