Kovack Advisors Inc. Raises Stock Position in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Kovack Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 10.2% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 5,129 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 475 shares during the period. Kovack Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $761,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Aspire Private Capital LLC increased its holdings 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 valued at $523,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 3.2% in the 4th 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 period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC increased its stake in 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 during the period. Trust Point Inc. acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter valued at $738,000. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. increased its stake in 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 valued at $1,324,000 after buying an additional 537 shares during the period. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kim K.W. Rucker sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 23,446 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,994,026.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

NYSE:MPC opened at $198.39 on Friday. 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 Co. has a fifty-two week low of $104.32 and a fifty-two week high of $221.11. The stock has a market cap of $71.49 billion, a PE ratio of 8.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.52. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $192.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $166.94.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $3.98 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $1.77. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 30.58%. The business had revenue of $36.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $6.65 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 20.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is presently 14.02%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $201.00 to $202.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $221.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $214.00 to $227.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Scotiabank boosted their price objective 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, April 11th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $193.77.

About Marathon Petroleum

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.