Keynote Financial Services LLC Has $1.01 Million Stock Holdings in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Keynote Financial Services LLC lowered its stake in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 3.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 7,248 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 284 shares during the period. Keynote Financial Services LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $1,011,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital Wealth Planning LLC increased its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 1,271,923 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $177,433,000 after purchasing an additional 102,734 shares during the period. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. grew its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Nixon Peabody Trust Co. now owns 2,068 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $288,000 after buying an additional 68 shares in the last quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC increased its position in Marathon Petroleum by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC now owns 18,676 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,605,000 after buying an additional 329 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 17,742 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,475,000 after buying an additional 1,877 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SVB Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,266,000. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Up 1.4 %

MPC stock opened at $150.07 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $148.15 and a 200-day moving average price of $155.62. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 12 month low of $130.54 and a 12 month high of $221.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.11 and a beta of 1.41.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.71. The business had revenue of $33.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.94 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.45% and a return on equity of 12.07%. The firm’s revenue was down 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.98 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, November 5th that allows the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the oil and gas company to purchase up to 10% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be given a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.43%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.66%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell purchased 6,000 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $149.61 per share, for a total transaction of $897,660.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 6,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $911,124.90. This trade represents a 6,666.67 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on MPC. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Finally, Raymond James increased their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $190.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marathon Petroleum currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.27.

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.