Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC Shares Acquired by UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC

Key Points

• UBS Asset Management increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 8.0%, acquiring an additional 129,610 shares during the first quarter, bringing its total holdings to over 1.75 million shares valued at approximately $256 million.
• An earnings report detailed that Marathon Petroleum exceeded analysts' expectations with earnings per share of $3.96, beating the predicted $3.22, while reporting a revenue of $34.10 billion versus a forecast of $31.70 billion.
• Marathon Petroleum has a current average analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with a consensus price target of $186.50, and eight analysts recommend buying the stock.

UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) by 8.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,759,344 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after purchasing an additional 129,610 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC owned about 0.57% of Marathon Petroleum worth $256,319,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of MPC. Sunpointe LLC raised its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 5.1% during the 1st quarter. Sunpointe LLC now owns 1,681 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $245,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 1.3% in the first quarter. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC now owns 6,739 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $982,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. grew its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 2.3% in the first quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 3,801 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $554,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Southland Equity Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 6.2% during the 1st quarter. Southland Equity Partners LLC now owns 1,549 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $226,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudent Man Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Prudent Man Advisors LLC now owns 4,056 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $591,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Down 1.2%

NYSE:MPC traded down $2.13 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $180.18. 1,500,292 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,733,300. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 0.71. The firm has a market cap of $54.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.73, a PEG ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 0.97. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 52-week low of $115.10 and a 52-week high of $186.28. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $172.81 and a 200 day simple moving average of $157.13.

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

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 20th were paid a $0.91 dividend. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 20th. Marathon Petroleum's payout ratio is currently 54.01%.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on MPC shares. Dbs Bank upgraded Marathon Petroleum to a "moderate buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. Raymond James Financial upped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $195.00 to $199.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $144.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. UBS Group upped their target price 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. Finally, Scotiabank reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Friday, July 11th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $189.36.

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.