Candriam S.C.A. Boosts Stock Position in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Candriam S.C.A. increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 5.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 27,677 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 1,335 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $3,861,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gladius Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 88.9% in 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 during the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake 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 worth $28,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Petroleum

In other news, Director Evan Bayh bought 1,000 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 5th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $133.70 per share, with a total value of $133,700.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 69,305 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,266,078.50. This trade represents a 1.46 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Shares of Marathon Petroleum stock opened at $137.65 on Friday. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a one year low of $130.54 and a one year high of $221.11. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $148.61 and its 200 day moving average is $154.28. The stock has a market cap of $43.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.86, a P/E/G ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.23.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.71. The business had revenue of $33.47 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.94 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 12.07% and a net margin of 2.45%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $3.98 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.47 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.64%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is presently 36.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MPC has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Mizuho cut their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Barclays dropped their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Raymond James raised their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $190.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $160.00 to $156.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and issued a $170.00 price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marathon Petroleum presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $182.00.

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.