Phoenix Wealth Advisors Sells 296 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Phoenix Wealth Advisors lessened its holdings in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 1.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 19,838 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 296 shares during the period. Marathon Petroleum accounts for 2.1% of Phoenix Wealth Advisors’ portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Phoenix Wealth Advisors’ holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $3,023,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of MPC. Gleason Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 75.2% in the 3rd quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 191 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Marathon Petroleum

In other news, Director Kim K.W. Rucker sold 1,000 shares of the business’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 value of $170,350.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 23,446 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,994,026.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Down 1.5 %

Shares of MPC stock traded down $3.16 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $203.86. 1,599,848 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,523,145. The stock has a market cap of $73.46 billion, a PE ratio of 8.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.52. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $187.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $164.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 12 month low of $104.32 and a 12 month high of $221.11.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last announced its 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. The business had revenue of $36.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.90 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 30.58% and a net margin of 6.44%. Marathon Petroleum’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $6.65 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 17.53 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 21st were paid a $0.825 dividend. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.62%. 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 recently issued reports on MPC shares. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $211.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Mizuho lifted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $201.00 to $202.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $185.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 9th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average 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.