8,469 Shares in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) Purchased by Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc.

Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor acquired 8,469 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,256,000. Marathon Petroleum comprises 0.8% of Wetzel Investment Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of MPC. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at about $38,000. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Mascoma Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter valued at about $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of MPC traded up $1.40 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $196.42. The stock had a trading volume of 1,748,676 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,834,987. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a fifty-two week low of $104.32 and a fifty-two week high of $221.11. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $189.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $164.92. The firm has a market cap of $70.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $3.98 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 analysts’ expectations of $34.90 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.65 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 17.57 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 20th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on MPC shares. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $207.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Raymond James raised their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $201.00 to $202.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $193.77.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

About Marathon Petroleum

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.