Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC Stake Raised by Courier Capital LLC

Courier Capital LLC raised its holdings in Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) by 100.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 11,700 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 5,850 shares during the quarter. Courier Capital LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $4,626,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in MPC. McCollum Christoferson Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 3rd quarter worth about $277,000. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 471.0% during the third quarter. Sax Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 18,705 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $7,396,000 after buying an additional 15,429 shares during the period. Refined Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 0.8% during the third quarter. Refined Wealth Management now owns 24,415 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $9,654,000 after buying an additional 191 shares during the period. Fragasso Financial Advisors Inc bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the third quarter worth about $310,000. Finally, NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC raised its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 2.4% in the third quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 5,997 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $2,371,000 after buying an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on MPC shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $376.00 to $472.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 21st. Bank of America increased their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $410.00 to $426.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 2nd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $265.00 to $453.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Mizuho lifted their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $304.00 to $457.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, Evercore set a $330.00 price target on Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $407.88.

Insider Activity at Marathon Petroleum

In other news, insider Molly R. Benson sold 17,196 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.57, for a total value of $6,165,969.72. Following the transaction, the insider owned 30,334 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,876,862.38. This represents a 36.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Shawn M. Lyon sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $375.75, for a total transaction of $375,750.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 11,194 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,206,145.50. This represents a 8.20% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 21,691 shares of company stock valued at $7,780,127. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Up 4.1%

Marathon Petroleum stock traded up $18.70 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $477.50. The company had a trading volume of 1,643,831 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,488,469. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $383.45 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $302.84. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 12 month low of $161.93 and a 12 month high of $477.73. The company has a market capitalization of $139.40 billion, a PE ratio of 16.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.14 and a beta of 0.54.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The oil and gas company reported $17.73 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $14.27 by $3.46. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 31.96% and a net margin of 5.48%. The firm had revenue of $51.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $40.87 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.96 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 53.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 61.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 19th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 19th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is 13.75%.

Key Headlines Impacting Marathon Petroleum

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

• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target on Marathon Petroleum from $321 to $488 and maintained an “overweight” rating. Although the new target implies limited near-term upside, the bullish rating reinforces confidence in MPC’s earnings and refining outlook.
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum remains unusually strong: MPC is approaching a 10-month winning streak, a pattern last seen in 2013. The rally reflects broad strength across refining stocks, with the CRAK refining ETF also posting significant gains this year. Marathon Petroleum Nears 10-Month Winning Streak Last Seen in 2013
• Positive Sentiment: Value and growth screens continue to favor MPC. Zacks highlighted the company’s attractive PEG ratio, rising earnings expectations and combination of value and growth characteristics. Its recent quarterly results also showed substantially higher revenue and earnings than a year earlier.
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target from $318 to $518 but retained a “neutral” rating. The increase acknowledges MPC’s improved outlook, while the unchanged rating suggests the recent rally may already reflect much of the expected upside.
• Neutral Sentiment: DBS maintained its “hold” rating on Marathon Petroleum, indicating that the firm sees balanced risk and reward at the current valuation. DBS Keeps Their Hold Rating on Marathon Petroleum
• Negative Sentiment: A proposed Russian diesel arrangement could create uncertainty for MPC. If additional diesel supplies ease fuel prices, increased competition or weaker diesel margins could weigh on U.S. refiners, although the deal’s implementation and market impact remain uncertain. Proposed Russian Diesel Deal and Potential Market Consequences

About Marathon Petroleum

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) is an integrated downstream energy company engaged primarily in refining, marketing and transporting petroleum products. The company converts crude oil and other feedstocks into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt, propane and other refined products used by consumers, businesses and industrial customers.

Marathon Petroleum operates refineries and related logistics assets in the United States, with a refining and marketing presence serving markets across the Midwest, Gulf Coast and West Coast.