Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) Shares Sold by Amalgamated Bank

Amalgamated Bank lessened its stake in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC - Free Report) by 5.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 109,139 shares of the oil and gas company's stock after selling 6,417 shares during the period. Amalgamated Bank's holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $16,192,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 4.7% in the third quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 129,609 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $19,615,000 after acquiring an additional 5,802 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its position in Marathon Petroleum by 54.5% in the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 21,370 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $3,234,000 after purchasing an additional 7,539 shares in the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 7,009 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $1,061,000 after buying an additional 106 shares during the period. SkyOak Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter worth about $219,000. Finally, J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 29.3% during the third quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 4,193 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $635,000 after buying an additional 951 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.77% of the company's stock.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MPC traded down $0.40 on Friday, reaching $182.55. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,866,370 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,785,623. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 1.43 and a quick ratio of 1.13. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 52-week low of $104.32 and a 52-week high of $221.11. The stock's 50-day moving average is $193.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $167.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.12, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.55.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $2.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $32.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $32.07 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 25.87% and a net margin of 5.32%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.09 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 20.49 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, April 30th that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the oil and gas company to buy up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be paid a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.81%. Marathon Petroleum's dividend payout ratio is currently 16.48%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on MPC shares. Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a "sector outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Citigroup assumed coverage on Marathon Petroleum in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. They set a "neutral" rating for the company. Bank of America increased their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $185.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $221.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $193.62.

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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