AlphaStar Capital Management LLC Purchases Shares of 1,438 Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

AlphaStar Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,438 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $201,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Gladius Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 88.9% in the third quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 672.7% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the third quarter worth approximately $33,000. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Petroleum

In other Marathon Petroleum news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell purchased 6,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $149.61 per share, with a total value of $897,660.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $911,124.90. The trade was a 6,666.67 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho reduced their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, December 16th. Tudor Pickering raised Marathon Petroleum from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.27.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

NYSE MPC opened at $150.13 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $145.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $157.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.23 and a quick ratio of 0.76. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 1 year low of $130.54 and a 1 year high of $221.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.25 billion, a PE ratio of 15.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.41.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.71. The business had revenue of $33.47 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $31.94 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.45% and a return on equity of 12.07%. Marathon Petroleum’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.98 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, November 5th that allows the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the oil and gas company to purchase up to 10% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.91 per share. This represents a $3.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.42%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is currently 36.66%.

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.