Flputnam Investment Management Co. Acquires 2,302 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC

Flputnam Investment Management Co. grew its holdings in Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) by 29.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 10,224 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,302 shares during the quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $1,663,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Boston Partners raised its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 141,691 shares in the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $358,693,000 after purchasing an additional 35,847 shares in the last quarter. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 11.8% in the 3rd quarter. Amundi now owns 1,626,862 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $314,830,000 after purchasing an additional 172,172 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $163,688,000 after purchasing an additional 14,308 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 669,237 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $128,989,000 after buying an additional 11,948 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on MPC. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $200.00 to $233.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Raymond James Financial restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $224.00 to $260.00 in a report on Tuesday. UBS Group set a $285.00 price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $224.00 to $284.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $268.50.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

Shares of Marathon Petroleum stock opened at $251.71 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.43, a PEG ratio of 0.40 and a beta of 0.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $240.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $207.41. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 52 week low of $155.93 and a 52 week high of $264.14.

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

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

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

More Marathon Petroleum News

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 outlook and possible near-term upside. What Makes Marathon Petroleum (MPC) a New Strong Buy Stock
• Positive Sentiment: MPC was also included on Zacks’ Strong Buy momentum stocks list, reinforcing short-term bullish sentiment. Best Momentum Stock to Buy for May 28th
• Positive Sentiment: The stock was added to Zacks’ Strong Buy value list, which may support investor interest from value-focused buyers. Best Value Stock to Buy for May 28th
• Positive Sentiment: MPC was also named among Zacks’ Strong Buy growth stocks, adding another bullish screen-based signal. Best Growth Stocks to Buy for May 28th
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also paying more attention to Marathon Petroleum, which can increase trading interest but is not a fundamental catalyst by itself. Here is What to Know Beyond Why Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) is a Trending Stock
• Negative Sentiment: One article noted that Marathon Petroleum insiders sold about $2.3 million of stock over the past year, which could make some investors more cautious. Marathon Petroleum Insiders Sell US$2.3m Of Stock, Possibly Signalling Caution

Insider Activity at Marathon Petroleum

In related news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,810 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $224.78, for a total value 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 through this hyperlink. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 4,473 shares of company stock valued at $1,015,428. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

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.