Tranquility Partners LLC Sells 628 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Tranquility Partners LLC reduced its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 6.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,479 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 628 shares during the period. Tranquility Partners LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $1,338,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Gladius Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 88.9% during the 3rd quarter. MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 672.7% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 170 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Down 3.9 %

MPC stock opened at $149.26 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 1.23. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $145.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $157.27. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 52 week low of $130.54 and a 52 week high of $221.11. The company has a market capitalization of $47.97 billion, a PE ratio of 15.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.41.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.77 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.06 by $0.71. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.45% and a return on equity of 12.07%. The business had revenue of $33.47 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.94 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $3.98 earnings per share. Marathon Petroleum’s revenue was down 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.7 earnings per share for the current year.

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

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.91 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. This represents a $3.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.44%. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is 36.66%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell purchased 6,000 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $149.61 per share, for a total transaction of $897,660.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 6,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $911,124.90. This trade represents a 6,666.67 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on MPC. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $174.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $159.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 price objective on the stock. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $170.00 price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus 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.