Shepherd Street Advisors LLC Buys New Shares in Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC

Key Points

• Shepherd Street Advisors opened a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter, buying 5,398 shares worth about $878,000.
• Institutional interest remains strong, with hedge funds and other large investors owning 76.77% of the stock and several firms recently adding to their holdings.
• Marathon Petroleum posted better-than-expected earnings and announced a $1.00 quarterly dividend; analysts also remain broadly positive, with a consensus Moderate Buy rating and an average price target of $268.50.

Shepherd Street Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 5,398 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $878,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Alberta Investment Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter valued at about $2,891,000. Diversified Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 39.3% in the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 15,675 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $2,549,000 after acquiring an additional 4,419 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter valued at about $1,004,000. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter valued at about $791,000. Finally, KKM Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 27.6% in the third quarter. KKM Financial LLC now owns 26,202 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $5,050,000 after acquiring an additional 5,661 shares in the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Marathon Petroleum

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

• Positive Sentiment: Marathon Petroleum was highlighted as a top-ranked growth stock and a potential earnings beat candidate, reinforcing bullish investor expectations. Best Growth Stocks to Buy for June 1st
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and Zacks coverage continued to frame MPC as a favorable idea, with articles noting a Buy-equivalent average brokerage recommendation and optimism around its outlook. Is Marathon Petroleum (MPC) a Buy as Wall Street Analysts Look Optimistic?
• Positive Sentiment: Energy-sector momentum has improved, and one article said oil stocks look poised for another leg higher after U.S.-Iran peace talks collapsed, which may lift refiners like MPC. Oil Stocks Look Poised for Another Leg Higher
• Positive Sentiment: MPC was included among stocks expected to benefit from strong energy demand and tight supply conditions, adding to the bullish narrative. The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Marathon Petroleum, Nabors Industries and Suncor Energy
• Neutral Sentiment: Marathon Petroleum was featured in multiple Zacks “Investment Ideas” and sector roundup articles, which adds visibility but does not appear to be a direct company-specific catalyst. Zacks Investment Ideas feature highlights: XLE, Valero, Marathon and Phillips 66
• Neutral Sentiment: One article compared MPC’s year-to-date performance with other energy stocks, but it mainly served as a sector performance check rather than a stock-moving update. Are Oils-Energy Stocks Lagging Kolibri Global Energy Inc. (KGEI) This Year?

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

NYSE:MPC opened at $263.13 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The company has a market capitalization of $76.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.18, a P/E/G ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.52. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 12 month low of $155.93 and a 12 month high of $264.84. The business's 50-day moving average is $240.73 and its 200 day moving average is $208.19.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.91. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 16.22% and a net margin of 3.36%.The company had revenue of $34.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $33.42 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.24) earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, 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 business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 20th. Marathon Petroleum's payout ratio is presently 26.11%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marathon Petroleum news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,626 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.18, for a total transaction of $371,020.68. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,525 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,717,054.50. The trade was 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 link. Insiders sold 4,473 shares of company stock worth $1,015,428 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.17% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MPC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $243.00 to $257.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Marathon Petroleum to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $264.00 to $291.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Marathon Petroleum from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, May 10th. Finally, UBS Group set a $285.00 target price on Marathon Petroleum in a research 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 assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $268.50.

Marathon Petroleum 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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