Boston Partners Sells 185,713 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC

Key Points

• Boston Partners reduced its Marathon Petroleum stake by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, selling 185,713 shares. Even after the trim, it still owned 6.12 million shares valued at about $998 million, making MPC its 12th-largest holding.
• Marathon Petroleum posted strong quarterly results, reporting EPS of $1.65 versus $0.74 expected and revenue of $34.2 billion, up 8.5% year over year. The company also announced a $1.00 quarterly dividend, or $4.00 annualized, for a 1.5% yield.
• Analyst sentiment remains upbeat, with multiple firms raising price targets and MarketBeat showing a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $272.94. Recent positive catalysts also included MPC being added to the Dow Jones Best-in-Class Indices and Zacks upgrading it to a Strong Buy.

Boston Partners trimmed its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 6,119,715 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 185,713 shares during the period. Marathon Petroleum makes up approximately 1.0% of Boston Partners' holdings, making the stock its 12th largest position. Boston Partners owned approximately 2.04% of Marathon Petroleum worth $997,916,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marathon Petroleum news, VP Michael A. Henschen II sold 6,336 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.82, for a total value of $1,703,243.52. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 16,900 shares in the company, valued at $4,543,058. This trade represents a 27.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Key Marathon Petroleum News

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?

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MPC opened at $263.10 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.18. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $244.57 and its 200-day simple moving average is $212.40. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a one year low of $158.00 and a one year high of $272.46. The firm has a market cap of $76.81 billion, a PE ratio of 17.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 0.52.

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

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on MPC. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $233.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $279.00 to $296.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $243.00 to $257.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Marathon Petroleum from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $272.94.

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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