Relative Value Partners Group LLC Cuts Position in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Relative Value Partners Group LLC reduced its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 4.8% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,002 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 100 shares during the quarter. Relative Value Partners Group LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $270,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sit Investment Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. James Investment Research Inc. boosted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 65.2% in the first quarter. James Investment Research Inc. now owns 228 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 105.8% in the first quarter. Grey Fox Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 247 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Almanack Investment Partners LLC. acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Wednesday, August 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $140.00 to $164.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 7th. Mizuho downgraded Marathon Petroleum from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their target price for the company from $148.00 to $161.00 in a research note on Wednesday, August 16th. Barclays boosted their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $132.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 7th. Finally, Bank of America lowered Marathon Petroleum from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the company from $159.00 to $162.00 in a research report on Tuesday, August 15th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $153.00.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Up 2.9 %

Marathon Petroleum stock opened at $155.31 on Friday. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 1 year low of $89.40 and a 1 year high of $156.87. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $134.76 and its 200-day moving average is $125.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.84. The company has a market cap of $62.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.64, a PEG ratio of 1.17 and a beta of 1.62.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 1st. The oil and gas company reported $5.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.55 by $0.77. The firm had revenue of $36.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $32.60 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 8.01% and a return on equity of 36.33%. Marathon Petroleum’s revenue was down 32.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $10.61 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 21.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 16th will be given a $0.75 dividend. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 15th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Petroleum

In related news, VP Timothy J. Aydt sold 4,913 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.26, for a total value of $713,662.38. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 18,995 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,759,213.70. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Marathon Petroleum news, VP Timothy J. Aydt sold 4,913 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.26, for a total value of $713,662.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 18,995 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,759,213.70. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Shawn M. Lyon sold 8,086 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $147.15, for a total value of $1,189,854.90. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 15,036 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,212,547.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 27,188 shares of company stock worth $3,890,973. 0.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Marathon Petroleum

Marathon Petroleum Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an integrated downstream energy company primarily in the United States. It operates in two segments, Refining & Marketing, and Midstream. 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.