Valmark Advisers Inc. Purchases 101 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Valmark Advisers Inc. lifted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 3.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,774 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc.’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $412,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Gilliland Jeter Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,799,000. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI boosted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 6.0% during the fourth quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 17,152 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,545,000 after purchasing an additional 973 shares in the last quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 5,129 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $761,000 after purchasing an additional 475 shares in the last quarter. Syon Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 24.9% during the fourth quarter. Syon Capital LLC now owns 16,586 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $2,461,000 after purchasing an additional 3,310 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pittenger & Anderson Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of MPC stock opened at $198.39 on Monday. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 1-year low of $104.32 and a 1-year high of $221.11. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $192.39 and its 200 day moving average price is $167.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.13. The company has a market cap of $71.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.52.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $3.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $1.77. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 30.58% and a net margin of 6.44%. The firm had revenue of $36.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $6.65 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 20.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.66%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.02%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kim K.W. Rucker sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.35, for a total value of $170,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now 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 SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on MPC shares. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Barclays lifted their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $221.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, April 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $211.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Bank of America raised their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $185.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $214.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marathon Petroleum currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $193.77.

Marathon Petroleum Company 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.