Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Raised to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) was upgraded by analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Saturday.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on MPC. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $214.00 to $213.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Mizuho raised their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $184.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Scotiabank reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. Dbs Bank raised Marathon Petroleum to a “moderate buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 28th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $195.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, September 22nd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marathon Petroleum presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $200.00.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE MPC opened at $193.78 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $187.86 and its 200 day moving average is $172.43. The stock has a market cap of $58.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.90. Marathon Petroleum has a 1-year low of $115.10 and a 1-year high of $201.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The oil and gas company reported $3.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.00 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $34.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $31.06 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.13% and a return on equity of 9.76%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum will post 8.47 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Molly R. Benson sold 10,879 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $163.00, for a total value of $1,773,277.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 28,700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,678,100. This trade represents a 27.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.25% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Associated Banc Corp increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Associated Banc Corp now owns 2,475 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $477,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 2,363 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $456,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $370,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA increased its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 3.9% in the second quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA now owns 1,684 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $280,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the last quarter. Finally, FSM Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 1.6% during the third quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 3,944 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $760,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marathon Petroleum Company 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.