B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Purchases 9,579 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC

Key Points

• B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum Corporation by 40.9%, acquiring 9,579 additional shares during the first quarter, bringing its total holdings to 32,993 shares valued at approximately $4.8 million.
• Marathon Petroleum recently reported earnings of $3.96 per share, exceeding analysts' expectations by $0.74, and revenues of $34.10 billion, down 11.1% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.91 per share, which will be paid to investors on September 10th, representing a 2.0% dividend yield.

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lifted its position in Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) by 40.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 32,993 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,579 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $4,807,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Good Steward Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the first quarter valued at about $346,000. Silver Oak Securities Incorporated bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the first quarter valued at about $339,000. Financial Partners Group LLC grew its position in Marathon Petroleum by 65.8% during the first quarter. Financial Partners Group LLC now owns 3,937 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $574,000 after buying an additional 1,563 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its position in Marathon Petroleum by 8.0% during the first quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 44,387 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $6,467,000 after buying an additional 3,291 shares during the period. Finally, Weatherly Asset Management L. P. bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the first quarter valued at about $216,000. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MPC has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wolfe Research downgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum from an "outperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $160.00 to $182.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Dbs Bank raised shares of Marathon Petroleum to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $200.00 price objective (up from $180.00) on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $185.29.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Up 2.5%

Shares of Marathon Petroleum stock opened at $177.78 on Thursday. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 12-month low of $115.10 and a 12-month high of $183.10. The company has a market cap of $54.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.38, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The company's 50-day moving average price is $169.99 and its 200-day moving average price is $155.00.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The oil and gas company reported $3.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.74. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 1.58% and a return on equity of 8.38%. The firm had revenue of $34.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $4.12 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 11.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 20th will be given a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 20th. Marathon Petroleum's dividend payout ratio is 54.01%.

Insider Activity at Marathon Petroleum

In related news, Director Kim K.W. Rucker sold 7,392 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $1,293,600.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 18,944 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,315,200. This represents a 28.07% 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. Also, insider Molly R. Benson sold 10,879 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.00, for a total transaction of $1,773,277.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 28,700 shares in the company, valued at $4,678,100. The trade was a 27.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Marathon Petroleum 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MPC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.