Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Downgraded by Wolfe Research to Peer Perform

Wolfe Research lowered shares of Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) from an outperform rating to a peer perform rating in a report issued on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on MPC. Wall Street Zen raised Marathon Petroleum from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. UBS Group upped their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 24th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $147.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $184.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $184.38.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Down 2.3%

Shares of NYSE MPC traded down $4.22 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $175.64. The company had a trading volume of 2,732,084 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,812,043. The stock has a market cap of $53.96 billion, a PE ratio of 24.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.88. Marathon Petroleum has a one year low of $115.10 and a one year high of $183.31. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $163.74 and its 200-day moving average price is $150.10. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.16.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 6th. The oil and gas company reported ($0.24) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.40) by $0.16. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 8.89% and a net margin of 1.75%. The firm had revenue of $31.85 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.91 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.58 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 21st were issued a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 21st. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.07%. Marathon Petroleum's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 51.20%.

Insider Activity at Marathon Petroleum

In related news, Director Kim K.W. Rucker sold 7,392 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.00, for a total value of $1,293,600.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 18,944 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,315,200. This represents a 28.07% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Marathon Petroleum by 1,546.2% during the first quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 214 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 201 shares during the last quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the first quarter valued at about $32,000. WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the first quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Decker Retirement Planning Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 1,621.4% during the 1st quarter. Decker Retirement Planning Inc. now owns 241 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 227 shares during the period. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marathon Petroleum Company 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.