NFJ Investment Group LLC Buys New Shares in Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC

NFJ Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 157,776 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $25,659,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Navalign LLC bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. Berbice Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 100.0% in 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 during the last quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Marathon Petroleum News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Marathon Petroleum was added to the Dow Jones Best-in-Class Indices after earning a top-quartile ESG score in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, which can support demand from sustainability-focused investors. Marathon Petroleum Named to Dow Jones Best-in-Class Indices
• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target on MPC to $344 from $335, signaling continued analyst confidence and implying meaningful upside from current levels. Wells Fargo adjusts Marathon Petroleum price target
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks added MPC to its Rank #1 (Strong Buy) growth stocks list, reinforcing the view that the company remains attractive for growth and momentum investors. Best Growth Stocks to Buy for June 12th
• Positive Sentiment: Another Zacks note highlighted MPC as a strong momentum stock, which may be helping traders bid the shares higher in the near term. What Makes Marathon Petroleum (MPC) a Strong Momentum Stock: Buy Now?
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor commentary across several articles argued that MPC screens as a potentially attractive buy based on valuation and refining fundamentals, but these pieces were opinion-driven rather than new company-specific announcements. Is Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) A Good Stock To Buy Now?

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on MPC shares. Mizuho lifted their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $224.00 to $284.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Bank of America lifted their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $224.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $264.00 to $291.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $197.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on Marathon Petroleum to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marathon Petroleum presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $272.94.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MPC opened at $263.10 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $76.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.41 and a beta of 0.52. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 52 week low of $158.00 and a 52 week high of $272.46. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $244.57 and a 200 day moving average of $212.40.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.91. The company had revenue of $34.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $33.42 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 16.22%. Marathon Petroleum’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.24) earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 31.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 20th were paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is 26.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Michael A. Henschen II sold 6,336 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $268.82, for a total value of $1,703,243.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 16,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,543,058. The trade was a 27.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.17% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Marathon Petroleum

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.