Altshuler Shaham Ltd Sells 187 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Altshuler Shaham Ltd lowered its holdings in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 39.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 293 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 187 shares during the quarter. Altshuler Shaham Ltd’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $43,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Bare Financial Services Inc purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MPC traded up $0.01 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $180.93. The company had a trading volume of 1,844,612 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,753,044. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a fifty-two week low of $104.32 and a fifty-two week high of $221.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $194.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $168.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $63.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.55.

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

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.48%.

Marathon Petroleum declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the oil and gas company to reacquire up to 7.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on MPC shares. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. 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 note on Friday, March 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $211.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. TD Cowen raised their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $191.62.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In related 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

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.