Fractal Investments LLC Has $320,000 Stock Position in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Fractal Investments LLC trimmed its position in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 42.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 2,291 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 1,720 shares during the quarter. Fractal Investments LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $320,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MPC has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup dropped their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $167.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $172.00 to $171.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $182.00 to $183.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $170.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on Marathon Petroleum in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $174.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $181.27.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jeffrey C. Campbell purchased 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $149.61 per share, with a total value of $897,660.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 6,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $911,124.90. This trade represents a 6,666.67 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.21% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE MPC opened at $157.22 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $146.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $157.78. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a twelve month low of $130.54 and a twelve month high of $221.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94. The company has a market capitalization of $50.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.46, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.41.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 4th. The oil and gas company reported $0.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.06 by $0.71. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 16.19% and a net margin of 3.15%. The company had revenue of $33.47 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $31.94 billion. Marathon Petroleum’s quarterly revenue was down 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.98 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 8.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

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 2.32%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 19th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is currently 28.84%.

Marathon Petroleum announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, November 5th that permits the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the oil and gas company to buy up to 10% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.