Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS Sells 5,000 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS trimmed its position in Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) by 9.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 47,831 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 5,000 shares during the quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $7,779,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in MPC. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 30.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 4,988 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $696,000 after acquiring an additional 1,178 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 38.3% in the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 26,697 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $3,889,000 after acquiring an additional 7,396 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 26.6% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 2,221 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $369,000 after acquiring an additional 466 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter valued at approximately $8,505,000. Finally, AXA S.A. increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 46.7% in the second quarter. AXA S.A. now owns 39,675 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $6,590,000 after acquiring an additional 12,639 shares during the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MPC has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $239.00 to $264.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $210.00 to $243.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Scotiabank raised their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $174.00 to $210.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, Piper Sandler raised their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $197.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $241.81.

Key Stories Impacting Marathon Petroleum

Here are the key news stories impacting Marathon Petroleum this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and a higher near?term earnings outlook have driven momentum and income appeal, cited as the primary reason for the recent surge in MPC shares. Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Is Up 12.3% After Analyst Upgrades And Dividend Declaration – What’s Changed
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a $1.00 quarterly dividend (record May 20, pay June 10), reinforcing cash-return policy and supporting yield-focused investor demand; the announcement accompanies an upgraded outlook in several writeups. Assessing Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Valuation After Dividend Declaration And Upgraded Earnings Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Market research firm coverage boosted sentiment—MPC made Zacks’ Rank #1 (Strong Buy) growth list, which can attract momentum and quant-driven flows. Best Growth Stocks to Buy for May 1st
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and previews are focusing on Q1 drivers—strong refining margins and utilization could help results, but details will matter. Investors should watch reported margins, renewables and midstream segments for nuance. What’s in the Offing for Marathon Petroleum in Q1 Earnings?
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation analysis pieces discuss whether the recent share gains are pricing in expected cash flows and DCF value—helpful for longer?term allocation decisions but not an immediate catalyst. Is Marathon Petroleum (MPC) Pricing Reflect Recent Share Surge And DCF-Based Value Gap
• Neutral Sentiment: Market commentary and “trending” coverage have amplified visibility; such coverage can reinforce flows but may fade after earnings. Marathon Petroleum Stock Is Trending Overnight: Here’s Why
• Negative Sentiment: Macro energy risks remain: a Bank of England note warned that a sustained energy shock could push inflation and rates higher—an outcome that could pressure demand and margins if oil dislocations persist. This is a tail risk for refiners. Bank of England sounds warning of interest rate hikes ahead

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

Shares of Marathon Petroleum stock opened at $246.77 on Friday. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a fifty-two week low of $137.30 and a fifty-two week high of $255.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.48, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 0.53. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $226.00 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $199.36.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 3rd. The oil and gas company reported $4.07 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.73 by $0.34. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 2.99% and a return on equity of 13.90%. The firm had revenue of $32.57 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $30.89 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.77 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 26.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 20th will be given a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 20th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.6%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.96%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Ricky D. Hessling sold 1,626 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.18, for a total transaction of $371,020.68. Following the transaction, the insider owned 7,525 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,717,054.50. The trade was a 17.77% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 4,473 shares of company stock valued at $1,015,428 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

About Marathon Petroleum

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE: MPC) is a U.S.-based downstream energy company engaged principally in the refining, marketing, supply and transportation of petroleum products. The company was formed through a spin-off from Marathon Oil in 2011 and operates an integrated system of refining and logistics assets that support the production and distribution of transportation fuels and other refined petroleum products.

Marathon Petroleum’s operations include refining crude oil into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt and other specialty products, as well as managing the distribution and storage infrastructure needed to move those products to market.