Machina Capital S.A.S. Purchases New Shares in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Machina Capital S.A.S. acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 7,967 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,182,000. Marathon Petroleum makes up approximately 0.8% of Machina Capital S.A.S.’s portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MPC. J.P. Morgan Private Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter worth about $109,099,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 127.0% in the third quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,232,706 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $186,536,000 after buying an additional 689,576 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 256.3% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 884,573 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $131,235,000 after acquiring an additional 636,281 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Marathon Petroleum by 248.1% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 608,888 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $90,335,000 after acquiring an additional 433,977 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Korea Investment CORP boosted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 61.9% during the third quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 662,266 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $100,227,000 after buying an additional 253,321 shares during the period. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of MPC stock traded down $1.86 on Tuesday, hitting $180.92. The company had a trading volume of 1,692,012 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,755,088. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $194.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $168.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a current ratio of 1.43. The firm has a market cap of $63.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.55. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a twelve month low of $104.32 and a twelve month high of $221.11.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $2.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.25. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 25.87%. The firm had revenue of $32.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $32.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.09 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 19.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the oil and gas company to buy up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.82%. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is currently 16.48%.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In related news, Director Kim K.W. Rucker sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.35, for a total transaction of $170,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 23,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,994,026.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 1st. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $185.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Raymond James upped their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Mizuho lowered their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $202.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 2nd. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $191.62.

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.