Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Stock Price Up 1.1%

Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report)'s share price rose 1.1% on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $215.24 and last traded at $214.55. Approximately 619,399 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 78% from the average daily volume of 2,877,104 shares. The stock had previously closed at $212.12.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on MPC. Piper Sandler increased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $159.00 to $204.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. StockNews.com raised shares of Marathon Petroleum from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 9th. Raymond James upped their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Citigroup began coverage on Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. They issued a "neutral" rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $221.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $192.58.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Down 0.4 %

The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $183.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $162.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The company has a market cap of $76.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.52.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $3.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.21 by $1.77. The company had revenue of $36.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.90 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 30.58%. Marathon Petroleum's quarterly revenue was down 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $6.65 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 17.53 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 20th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.56%. Marathon Petroleum's payout ratio is presently 14.02%.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In other news, Director Kim K.W. Rucker sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.35, for a total value of $170,350.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 23,446 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,994,026.10. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.21% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. West Tower Group LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Gleason Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 75.2% in the third quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 191 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Vima LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.