Natixis Advisors L.P. Grows Position in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Natixis Advisors L.P. raised its position in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 9.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 220,848 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,990 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. owned 0.06% of Marathon Petroleum worth $32,765,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Peoples Bank KS bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter worth about $44,000. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Marathon Petroleum

In other Marathon Petroleum news, Director Kim K.W. Rucker sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.35, for a total transaction of $170,350.00. Following the sale, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MPC has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Raymond James lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Bank of America increased their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $185.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Citigroup started coverage on Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Five investment 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $193.62.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Shares of MPC opened at $182.55 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $194.18 and a two-hundred day moving average of $168.09. The company has a market cap of $64.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a twelve month low of $104.32 and a twelve month high of $221.11.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) 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. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 25.87% and a net margin of 5.32%. The firm had revenue of $32.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $6.09 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 19.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, April 30th that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the oil and gas company to repurchase up to 7.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.81%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.48%.

About Marathon Petroleum

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.