ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC Invests $206,000 in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

ARS Wealth Advisors Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 1,187 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $206,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 400.0% during the 1st quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Vima LLC bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

Shares of MPC traded down $0.72 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $180.03. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,452,592 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,643,195. The stock has a market cap of $63.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.99, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 1-year low of $139.32 and a 1-year high of $221.11. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $171.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $179.92.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The oil and gas company reported $4.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.09 by $1.03. The firm had revenue of $38.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $36.66 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 25.87% and a net margin of 5.32%. The company’s revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $5.32 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 13.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, April 30th that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the oil and gas company to repurchase up to 7.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be issued a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 21st. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MPC. Tudor Pickering upgraded Marathon Petroleum to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, May 30th. StockNews.com lowered Marathon Petroleum from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $222.00 to $231.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $191.00 to $186.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $195.00 to $185.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 1st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marathon Petroleum currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $198.38.

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.