Bank of Jackson Hole Trust Purchases Shares of 455 Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 455 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock, valued at approximately $63,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of MPC. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in Marathon Petroleum by 88.9% in the 3rd quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in Marathon Petroleum by 672.7% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Asset Planning Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of MPC stock opened at $156.79 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $146.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $156.63. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a twelve month low of $130.54 and a twelve month high of $221.11. The company has a market capitalization of $50.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.23, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.71. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 12.07% and a net margin of 2.45%. The company had revenue of $33.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.94 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.98 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 9.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.47 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, November 5th that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the oil and gas company to repurchase up to 10% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be paid a $0.91 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.32%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 36.66%.

Insider Activity at Marathon Petroleum

In other Marathon Petroleum news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell purchased 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $149.61 per share, for a total transaction of $897,660.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,090 shares in the company, valued at $911,124.90. This represents a 6,666.67 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MPC. Raymond James raised their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $190.00 to $192.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Tudor Pickering raised Marathon Petroleum from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $170.00 target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research report on Tuesday, December 10th. Barclays cut their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $181.27.

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.