Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Given "Hold (C)" Rating at Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• Weiss Ratings has restated a "hold (C)" rating on Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) as of Wednesday, indicating a cautious stance on the stock.
• Despite the hold rating, other brokerages have given bullish outlooks, with price targets increasing, such as Morgan Stanley raising theirs from $182.00 to $200.00.
• Marathon Petroleum reported earnings of $3.96 per share last quarter, exceeding estimates, but revenue was down 11.1% year-on-year, amounting to $34.10 billion.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "hold (c)" rating restated by research analysts at Weiss Ratings in a research note issued on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

A number of other brokerages also recently weighed in on MPC. Dbs Bank upgraded Marathon Petroleum to a "moderate buy" rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, October 3rd. UBS Group upped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $203.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 26th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $190.00 to $182.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, August 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $195.00 to $208.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Eight investment 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 a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $198.23.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MPC opened at $188.72 on Wednesday. Marathon Petroleum has a twelve month low of $115.10 and a twelve month high of $201.61. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $178.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $163.01. The company has a market capitalization of $57.37 billion, a PE ratio of 28.00, a PEG ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, August 5th. The oil and gas company reported $3.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $3.22 by $0.74. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 8.38% and a net margin of 1.58%.The firm had revenue of $34.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.70 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $4.12 EPS. The company's revenue was down 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Molly R. Benson sold 10,879 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.00, for a total value of $1,773,277.00. Following the transaction, 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 through the SEC website. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MPC. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Activest Wealth Management increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 290.2% in the second quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 1,546.2% in 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 $32,000. Finally, WPG Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the first quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company's stock.

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.

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