Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) Shares Sold by Sanctuary Advisors LLC

Sanctuary Advisors LLC decreased its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 145,122 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 4,847 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $22,999,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MPC. Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 88.9% during the third quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 672.7% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell purchased 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $149.61 per share, for a total transaction of $897,660.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 6,090 shares in the company, valued at $911,124.90. This trade represents a 6,666.67 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MPC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Bank of America assumed coverage on Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 price target for the company. Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. lowered shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Monday, September 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $183.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $167.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marathon Petroleum currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $185.27.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Down 3.7 %

Shares of NYSE:MPC opened at $146.29 on Friday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $155.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $165.28. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a fifty-two week low of $142.57 and a fifty-two week high of $221.11. The company has a market cap of $47.02 billion, a PE ratio of 11.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.87 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.90. The business had revenue of $35.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.34 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 16.19% and a net margin of 3.15%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $8.14 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 9.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, November 5th that authorizes the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the oil and gas company to reacquire up to 10% 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 Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 20th were issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.49%. This is a positive change from Marathon Petroleum’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.83. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 20th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.84%.

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.