Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV Lowers Stock Holdings in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV lowered its stake in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 45.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,310 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 2,795 shares during the period. Investors Asset Management of Georgia Inc. GA ADV’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $491,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gleason Group Inc. increased its position in Marathon Petroleum by 75.2% during the third quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 191 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter worth $38,000. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter worth $38,000. Finally, Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter worth $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Down 4.0 %

Marathon Petroleum stock traded down $8.07 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $194.39. 1,627,836 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,833,644. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $188.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $164.38. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 52 week low of $104.32 and a 52 week high of $221.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.05 billion, a PE ratio of 8.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83.

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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $1.77. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 30.58%. The firm had revenue of $36.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.90 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $6.65 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 17.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 21st were paid a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 20th. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is currently 14.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on MPC. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $214.00 to $227.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Barclays increased their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. TD Cowen upped their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $193.77.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Petroleum

In other news, Director Kim K.W. Rucker sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.35, for a total value of $170,350.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 23,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,994,026.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

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.