Kwmg LLC Purchases 1,714 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Kwmg LLC lifted its holdings in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 4.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 38,228 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 1,714 shares during the quarter. Kwmg LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $5,333,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 88.9% during the 3rd quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 672.7% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter worth about $33,000. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Up 3.2 %

Shares of Marathon Petroleum stock traded up $4.56 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $146.83. 3,643,936 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,015,052. The company has a market cap of $47.19 billion, a PE ratio of 11.63, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.42. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a twelve month low of $130.54 and a twelve month high of $221.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $147.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $159.92.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.90. The company had revenue of $35.37 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.34 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 3.15% and a return on equity of 16.19%. The company’s revenue was down 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $8.14 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 9.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were paid a $0.91 dividend. This is an increase from Marathon Petroleum’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 20th. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is presently 28.84%.

Marathon Petroleum declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, November 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the oil and gas company to reacquire up to 10% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MPC has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Mizuho reduced their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 16th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 4th. Citigroup cut their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $167.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $183.73.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In other news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell purchased 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were bought at an average price of $149.61 per share, for a total transaction of $897,660.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 6,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $911,124.90. This trade represents a 6,666.67 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum 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.