SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. Invests $409,000 in Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC

SBI Okasan Asset Management Co.Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 2,500 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $409,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Boston Partners grew its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 2.3% in the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 6,305,428 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,214,522,000 after buying an additional 141,691 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in Marathon Petroleum by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,861,020 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $358,693,000 after purchasing an additional 35,847 shares during the last quarter. Amundi grew its position in Marathon Petroleum by 11.8% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 1,626,862 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $314,830,000 after purchasing an additional 172,172 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service grew its position in Marathon Petroleum by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 849,268 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $163,688,000 after purchasing an additional 14,308 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in Marathon Petroleum by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 669,237 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $128,989,000 after purchasing an additional 11,948 shares during the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In related news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,810 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.78, for a total transaction of $406,851.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 10,188 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,290,058.64. This trade represents a 15.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,473 shares of company stock worth $1,015,428. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MPC has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $264.00 to $291.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $230.00 to $270.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $200.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marathon Petroleum has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $268.50.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of MPC stock opened at $248.45 on Friday. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 12-month low of $155.93 and a 12-month high of $264.14. The company has a market capitalization of $72.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.22, a P/E/G ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 0.53. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $240.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $207.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.74 by $0.91. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 16.22%. The firm had revenue of $34.20 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $33.42 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.24) EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 30.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be issued a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 20th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.11%.

Key Headlines Impacting Marathon Petroleum

Here are the key news stories impacting Marathon Petroleum this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Marathon Petroleum was upgraded to Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), signaling stronger earnings expectations and a more favorable near-term outlook. What Makes Marathon Petroleum (MPC) a New Strong Buy Stock
• Positive Sentiment: MPC appeared on Zacks’ momentum, value, and growth stock screens, which reinforces investor interest from multiple angles. Best Momentum Stock to Buy for May 28th
• Positive Sentiment: The stock was also added to Zacks’ “New Strong Buy” and “Best Growth Stocks” lists, which may help sustain bullish sentiment among traders and growth-focused investors. New Strong Buy Stocks for May 28th
• Positive Sentiment: Marathon Petroleum was highlighted in a Zacks energy growth-stock article alongside other names benefiting from supply risks and strong demand, suggesting the sector backdrop remains supportive. 3 Energy Growth Stocks Riding Supply Risks and Strong Demand

Marathon Petroleum Profile

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: MPC) is a U.S.-based downstream energy company engaged principally in the refining, marketing, supply and transportation of petroleum products. The company was formed through a spin-off from Marathon Oil in 2011 and operates an integrated system of refining and logistics assets that support the production and distribution of transportation fuels and other refined petroleum products.

Marathon Petroleum’s operations include refining crude oil into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt and other specialty products, as well as managing the distribution and storage infrastructure needed to move those products to market.