Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) Receives $198.88 Average Price Target from Brokerages

Shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen research firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $202.1875.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MPC shares. Mizuho lifted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $198.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Marathon Petroleum from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 20th. Barclays reduced their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $202.00 to $194.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 13th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $200.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $183.00 to $198.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Up 2.7%

MPC opened at $203.33 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $178.84 and its 200-day moving average is $182.26. Marathon Petroleum has a 52-week low of $115.10 and a 52-week high of $210.32. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.23, a P/E/G ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 0.74.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The oil and gas company reported $4.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.34. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 14.00%. The business had revenue of $35.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.89 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.77 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be paid a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 18th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.96%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in MPC. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 30.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,988 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $696,000 after purchasing an additional 1,178 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP boosted its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 38.3% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 26,697 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,889,000 after buying an additional 7,396 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 26.6% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,221 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $369,000 after buying an additional 466 shares during the last quarter. Callan Family Office LLC raised its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 156.8% during the second quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 8,466 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,406,000 after acquiring an additional 5,169 shares during the period. Finally, PDS Planning Inc lifted its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 8.2% in the second quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 3,011 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $500,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marathon Petroleum Company Profile

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: MPC) is a U.S.-based downstream energy company engaged principally in the refining, marketing, supply and transportation of petroleum products. The company was formed through a spin-off from Marathon Oil in 2011 and operates an integrated system of refining and logistics assets that support the production and distribution of transportation fuels and other refined petroleum products.

Marathon Petroleum’s operations include refining crude oil into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt and other specialty products, as well as managing the distribution and storage infrastructure needed to move those products to market.