Vestor Capital LLC Boosts Stock Position in Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC

Vestor Capital LLC boosted its position in Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) by 262.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,958 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,143 shares during the quarter. Vestor Capital LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $722,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 31.0% during the 1st quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 213,545 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $52,146,000 after acquiring an additional 50,521 shares in the last quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky lifted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 570.7% during the first quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 168,644 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $41,180,000 after purchasing an additional 143,500 shares in the last quarter. North Dakota State Investment Board purchased a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth about $1,714,000. KBC Group NV increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 225,837 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $36,728,000 after buying an additional 41,259 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ABC Arbitrage SA bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter worth approximately $4,977,000. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Marathon Petroleum News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Strong refining margins support earnings outlook: Record crack spreads and tight fuel markets—partly linked to Iran-related supply disruptions—are improving profitability expectations for large refiners such as MPC. Record Crack Spreads and Tight Fuel Markets Might Change The Case For Investing In Marathon Petroleum
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly dividend maintained: MPC declared a $1.00-per-share dividend payable September 10 to shareholders of record on August 19. The annualized payout is $4.00 per share and represents a yield of approximately 1.3%, reinforcing the company’s capital-return appeal. Marathon Petroleum Corp. Announces Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Peer results provide a favorable read-through: PBF Energy reported second-quarter earnings and revenue well above analysts’ expectations, suggesting that strong refining conditions may also benefit MPC’s upcoming results. PBF Energy Q2 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are focused on key Q2 metrics: Analysts are examining expected refining throughput, segment results and other operating measures ahead of MPC’s August 4 report. The estimates could increase volatility because the stock has already posted substantial gains. Ahead of Marathon Petroleum Q2 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Environmental recognition: Wildlife Habitat Council certifications highlighting conservation efforts at MPLX facilities strengthen MPC’s corporate-responsibility profile, but are unlikely to materially affect near-term valuation. WHC Certifications Reflect Marathon Petroleum’s Commitment to Environmental Stewardship

Marathon Petroleum Trading Up 1.8%

Shares of MPC stock opened at $314.18 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $91.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.51, a PEG ratio of 0.20 and a beta of 0.52. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $272.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $236.86. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 1 year low of $158.00 and a 1 year high of $326.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 0.73.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The oil and gas company reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.74 by $0.91. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 16.22% and a net margin of 3.36%.The firm had revenue of $34.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $33.42 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.24) earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 43.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th will be paid a $1.00 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 26.11%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup lifted their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $257.00 to $303.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $344.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a report on Monday, June 15th. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $224.00 to $284.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 27th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $343.00 price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $270.00 to $289.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 13th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $298.69.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Michael A. Henschen II sold 6,336 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, June 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $268.82, for a total transaction of $1,703,243.52. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 16,900 shares in the company, valued at $4,543,058. This represents a 27.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.17% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Marathon Petroleum Company Profile

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.