Zhang Financial LLC Has $599,000 Stake in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Zhang Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 33.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 4,037 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 1,016 shares during the period. Zhang Financial LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $599,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. True Wealth Design LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. Tennessee Valley Asset Management Partners acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, High Net Worth Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the 1st quarter valued at $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE MPC opened at $196.42 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.35, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.52. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a one year low of $104.32 and a one year high of $221.11. 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 business’s fifty day moving average is $189.49 and its 200-day moving average is $164.92.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $3.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $1.77. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 30.58% and a net margin of 6.44%. The business had revenue of $36.26 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $6.65 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 19.42 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The company 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 yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 20th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is currently 14.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on MPC shares. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $201.00 to $202.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 12th. Raymond James raised 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. StockNews.com upgraded Marathon Petroleum from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $186.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, April 1st. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $185.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marathon Petroleum presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $193.77.

Insider Activity at Marathon Petroleum

In related 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 sale, the director now directly owns 23,446 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,994,026.10. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.