National Pension Service Purchases 36,158 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC

National Pension Service lifted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) by 4.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 885,426 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 36,158 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $143,997,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Navalign LLC bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Berbice Capital Management LLC now owns 200 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the second quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More Marathon Petroleum News

Here are the key news stories impacting Marathon Petroleum this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Marathon Petroleum was upgraded to Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), signaling stronger earnings expectations and a more favorable near-term outlook. What Makes Marathon Petroleum (MPC) a New Strong Buy Stock
• Positive Sentiment: MPC appeared on Zacks’ momentum, value, and growth stock screens, which reinforces investor interest from multiple angles. Best Momentum Stock to Buy for May 28th
• Positive Sentiment: The stock was also added to Zacks’ “New Strong Buy” and “Best Growth Stocks” lists, which may help sustain bullish sentiment among traders and growth-focused investors. New Strong Buy Stocks for May 28th
• Positive Sentiment: Marathon Petroleum was highlighted in a Zacks energy growth-stock article alongside other names benefiting from supply risks and strong demand, suggesting the sector backdrop remains supportive. 3 Energy Growth Stocks Riding Supply Risks and Strong Demand

Marathon Petroleum Trading Down 1.1%

MPC opened at $248.45 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 0.53. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 12 month low of $155.93 and a 12 month high of $264.14. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $240.26 and its 200 day simple moving average is $207.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.91. The business had revenue of $34.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $33.42 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 16.22%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.24) EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 30.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is 26.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marathon Petroleum news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,626 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.18, for a total transaction of $371,020.68. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 7,525 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,717,054.50. The trade was a 17.77% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 4,473 shares of company stock worth $1,015,428. Insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on MPC shares. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $255.00 to $290.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Zacks Research raised shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $243.00 to $257.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Marathon Petroleum currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $268.50.

Marathon Petroleum 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.