Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC Shares Sold by Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc.

Key Points

• Adams Natural Resources Fund reduced its Marathon Petroleum stake by 17.7% in the fourth quarter, though MPC still remains its 9th-largest holding at 2.3% of the portfolio.
• Marathon Petroleum’s recent operating results were strong, with Q1 earnings of $1.65 per share versus $0.74 expected and revenue of $34.2 billion, up 8.5% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains constructive: several firms raised price targets, with Wells Fargo increasing its target to $344, while MarketBeat data shows a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.

Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc. cut its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) by 17.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 92,612 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 19,900 shares during the period. Marathon Petroleum makes up approximately 2.3% of Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc.'s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $15,061,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Navalign LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. WFA of San Diego LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

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

Marathon Petroleum News Roundup

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

MPC opened at $263.10 on Friday. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 52-week low of $158.00 and a 52-week high of $272.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $76.81 billion, a PE 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 quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 1.18. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $244.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $212.40.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.91. The business had revenue of $34.20 billion for 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%.Marathon Petroleum's revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted ($0.24) earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 31.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th were paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date was 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%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Mizuho boosted 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. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $279.00 to $296.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $335.00 to $344.00 in a research report on Friday. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $224.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $272.94.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.