Simplicity Solutions LLC Sells 987 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Simplicity Solutions LLC reduced its position in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 7.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,617 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 987 shares during the quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $1,724,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MPC. SteelPeak Wealth LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. SteelPeak Wealth LLC now owns 20,408 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,028,000 after buying an additional 67 shares in the last quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,559 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $231,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 7.2% in the 3rd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,060 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $160,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 4,465 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $676,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in Marathon Petroleum by 2.6% during the third quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,030 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $459,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Down 1.6 %

NYSE MPC opened at $208.77 on Monday. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a twelve month low of $104.32 and a twelve month high of $221.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $75.23 billion, a PE ratio of 8.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $186.34 and its 200 day moving average is $163.37.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $3.98 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $36.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.90 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $6.65 EPS. Marathon Petroleum’s quarterly revenue was down 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 17.53 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 20th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.58%. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is presently 14.02%.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In related news, Director Kim K.W. Rucker sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.35, for a total transaction of $170,350.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 23,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,994,026.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.21% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Mizuho raised their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $201.00 to $202.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Scotiabank raised their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday. Bank of America upped their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $185.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $193.77.

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.