Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Marathon Petroleum has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy”, based on coverage from 19 research firms. The average 12-month price target is about $272.63.
• Several analysts recently raised their price targets on MPC, including Barclays, Jefferies, UBS, Goldman Sachs, and TD Cowen, signaling continued optimism around the stock.
• The company posted strong quarterly results, with EPS of $1.65 versus the $0.74 estimate and revenue of $34.2 billion, and it also paid a $1.00 quarterly dividend for a 1.4% annualized yield.

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the nineteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $272.6250.

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MPC. Barclays raised their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $279.00 to $296.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. UBS Group set a $285.00 target price on Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $264.00 to $291.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $320.00 to $315.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 29th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Petroleum

In other news, VP Michael A. Henschen II sold 6,336 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.82, for a total transaction of $1,703,243.52. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 16,900 shares in the company, valued at $4,543,058. The trade was a 27.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Diversified Trust Co. boosted its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 39.3% during the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co. now owns 15,675 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $2,549,000 after buying an additional 4,419 shares in the last quarter. USA Financial Formulas acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $791,000. North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,714,000. KBC Group NV grew its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 225,837 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $36,728,000 after acquiring an additional 41,259 shares during the period. Finally, KKM Financial LLC raised its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 27.6% during the third quarter. KKM Financial LLC now owns 26,202 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $5,050,000 after purchasing an additional 5,661 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.77% of the company's stock.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

MPC stock opened at $280.44 on Thursday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $254.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $221.25. The company has a market capitalization of $81.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.31, a PEG ratio of 0.39 and a beta of 0.52. Marathon Petroleum has a twelve month low of $158.00 and a twelve month high of $281.25. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $33.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.24) EPS. Marathon Petroleum's revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum will post 32.96 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th were paid a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 20th. Marathon Petroleum's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.11%.

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.

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