Simplicity Solutions LLC Sells 987 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Simplicity Solutions LLC cut its holdings in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 7.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,617 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 987 shares during the quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $1,724,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Aspire Private Capital LLC raised its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Aspire Private Capital LLC now owns 3,456 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $523,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 10,899 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,617,000 after buying an additional 340 shares during the last quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 579,841 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $87,753,000 after buying an additional 48,540 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. grew its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 6.4% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 8,925 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,324,000 after buying an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trust Point Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter worth approximately $738,000. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Petroleum

In other news, Director Kim K.W. Rucker sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.35, for a total transaction of $170,350.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 23,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,994,026.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Down 1.6 %

NYSE:MPC opened at $208.77 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $186.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $163.37. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 1-year low of $104.32 and a 1-year high of $221.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $75.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.87, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.52.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $3.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $1.77. The company had revenue of $36.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.90 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 30.58% and a net margin of 6.44%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $6.65 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 17.53 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 20th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on MPC shares. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 1st. StockNews.com raised Marathon Petroleum from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 9th. Bank of America raised their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $185.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $201.00 to $202.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marathon Petroleum currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $193.77.

Marathon Petroleum 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.