AXQ Capital LP Invests $1.99 Million in Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC

Key Points

• AXQ Capital LP initiated a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter, buying 12,237 shares worth about $1.99 million. The stake represents 0.4% of AXQ’s portfolio and its 28th-largest holding.
• Marathon Petroleum reported strong quarterly earnings, posting $1.65 per share versus the $0.74 consensus estimate and revenue of $34.2 billion, above expectations. Revenue also rose 8.5% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains constructive, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $268.50. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $1.00 per share, equal to a 1.5% annualized yield.

AXQ Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 12,237 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $1,990,000. Marathon Petroleum comprises 0.4% of AXQ Capital LP's holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MPC. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 30.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,988 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $696,000 after buying an additional 1,178 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 38.3% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 26,697 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $3,889,000 after purchasing an additional 7,396 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 26.6% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,221 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $369,000 after purchasing an additional 466 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $8,505,000. Finally, AXA S.A. grew its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 46.7% in the 2nd quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 39,675 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $6,590,000 after purchasing an additional 12,639 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.77% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on MPC shares. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. UBS Group set a $285.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $200.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marathon Petroleum has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $268.50.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marathon Petroleum news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,626 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.18, for a total transaction of $371,020.68. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 7,525 shares in the company, valued at $1,717,054.50. This represents a 17.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 4,473 shares of company stock worth $1,015,428 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Up 4.0%

Shares of NYSE:MPC opened at $258.73 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 52-week low of $155.93 and a 52-week high of $264.14. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $240.73 and its 200-day simple moving average is $208.19. The company has a market capitalization of $75.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.89, a P/E/G ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 0.52.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.91. The firm had revenue of $34.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $33.42 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 16.22% and a net margin of 3.36%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.24) earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 30.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be paid a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Marathon Petroleum's dividend payout ratio is currently 26.11%.

Marathon Petroleum News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks named Marathon Petroleum one of its top-ranked growth stocks for June 1, putting MPC on a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) list. Best Growth Stocks to Buy for June 1st
• Positive Sentiment: Another Zacks feature highlighted MPC as a stock that could beat earnings in its upcoming report, reinforcing expectations for a favorable fundamental setup. Looking for Earnings Beat? Buy These 5 Top-Ranked Stocks
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary also described Wall Street sentiment as optimistic, with Marathon Petroleum’s average brokerage recommendation effectively at Buy. Is Marathon Petroleum (MPC) a Buy as Wall Street Analysts Look Optimistic?
• Positive Sentiment: Energy-sector outlook articles also listed MPC among oil stocks that could benefit from tighter supply and renewed strength in crude markets after Iran-U.S. peace talks collapsed. Oil Stocks Look Poised for Another Leg Higher
• Neutral Sentiment: Several roundup articles mentioned MPC alongside other energy names, but did not introduce any company-specific catalyst beyond broad sector positioning.

About Marathon Petroleum

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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