Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. Makes New $1.26 Million Investment in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 8,469 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,256,000. Marathon Petroleum makes up 0.8% of Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MPC. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

Marathon Petroleum stock traded up $1.40 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $196.42. 1,748,676 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,834,987. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 12-month low of $104.32 and a 12-month high of $221.11. The stock has a market cap of $70.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.59. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $189.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $164.92.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $3.98 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $1.77. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 30.58%. The company had revenue of $36.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.65 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 17.57 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 21st were paid a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 20th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 14.02%.

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 dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.35, for a total value of $170,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 23,446 shares in the company, valued at $3,994,026.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on MPC. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $211.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $221.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, April 1st. Finally, Raymond James increased their target price 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. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $193.77.

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.