Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) Receives $198.38 Average PT from Analysts

Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the fifteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have assigned a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $198.38.

A number of research firms have weighed in on MPC. Tudor Pickering raised shares of Marathon Petroleum to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Mizuho decreased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $203.00 to $201.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, June 20th. StockNews.com cut shares of Marathon Petroleum from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, June 14th. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $207.00 to $191.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $223.00 to $196.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 12th.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE MPC opened at $175.83 on Thursday. Marathon Petroleum has a 12-month low of $139.32 and a 12-month high of $221.11. The company has a market cap of $61.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.43, a quick ratio of 0.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $170.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $179.30.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The oil and gas company reported $4.12 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.09 by $1.03. The company had revenue of $38.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $36.66 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 25.87%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $5.32 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum will post 13.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, April 30th that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the oil and gas company to reacquire up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be paid a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.88%. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is currently 16.48%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 400.0% during the first quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 100 shares during the period. Crewe Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Vima LLC bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

About Marathon Petroleum

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.