Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC Stake Boosted by MQS Management LLC

MQS Management LLC increased its holdings in Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) by 278.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,621 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,135 shares during the quarter. Marathon Petroleum makes up about 0.6% of MQS Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. MQS Management LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $1,083,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Delos Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Activest Wealth Management increased its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 290.2% during the second quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 160 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the period. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 103.1% during the second quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 199 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the period. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC lifted its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 10,250.0% during the second quarter. Transce3nd LLC now owns 207 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the period. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MPC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $174.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Wall Street Zen lowered Marathon Petroleum from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 20th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $221.00 price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Friday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $216.00 to $205.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $202.19.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

MPC opened at $204.16 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $61.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 1.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $178.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $181.63. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 52-week low of $115.10 and a 52-week high of $206.45.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The oil and gas company reported $4.07 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.73 by $0.34. The company had revenue of $35.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $30.89 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 14.00%. Marathon Petroleum’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.77 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 18th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is currently 29.96%.

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.