Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC Shares Sold by MCF Advisors LLC

MCF Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) by 87.5% in the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 511 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 3,586 shares during the quarter. MCF Advisors LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $131,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Solstein Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Caitlin John LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Cetera Trust Company N.A acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter valued at about $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MPC has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $289.00 to $321.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $284.00 to $304.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $357.00 to $375.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Bank of America boosted their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $224.00 to $260.00 in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upped their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $300.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $330.50.

Key Stories Impacting Marathon Petroleum

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

• Positive Sentiment: Marathon Petroleum’s strong second-quarter results continue to support the stock. The company reported $5.1 billion in attributable net income, or $17.73 per diluted share, versus the $14.27 analyst consensus, along with $8.5 billion in adjusted EBITDA. It also returned $2.8 billion to shareholders, reinforcing its cash-generation and capital-return story. Marathon Petroleum gains as stronger refining backdrop and analyst optimism lift shares
• Positive Sentiment: A recent analyst upgrade to the price target reflects expectations that refining-margin normalization may be slower than previously anticipated. Brokerage commentary and articles describing MPC as a value or potentially attractive long-term investment may also be supporting sentiment. Marathon Petroleum is considered a good investment by brokers
• Positive Sentiment: Recent institutional activity remains substantial, with major investors including JPMorgan, BlackRock and Sixth Street Partners adding MPC shares during the second quarter. Government contract payments, including naval distillate awards, provide a modest additional demand-related positive.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional positioning is mixed: 850 investors added shares while 892 reduced positions. This suggests continued interest in MPC but also significant profit-taking after its strong run.
• Negative Sentiment: Insiders have reported 11 open-market sales and no purchases over the past six months. Members of Congress also reported sales, which may raise caution about valuation, although these transactions are not necessarily indicative of operating fundamentals.
• Negative Sentiment: The stock’s recent closing decline and its elevated valuation relative to many published targets could limit upside. Quiver Quantitative lists a six-month median analyst target of $270, well below the current trading range, highlighting the risk that refining margins or energy prices normalize.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE MPC opened at $396.23 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $115.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.62, a PEG ratio of 0.25 and a beta of 0.53. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $335.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $273.38. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 12-month low of $161.93 and a 12-month high of $409.11. The company has a current ratio of 1.25, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The oil and gas company reported $17.73 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $14.27 by $3.46. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 31.96% and a net margin of 5.48%.The firm had revenue of $51.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $40.87 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $3.96 EPS. Marathon Petroleum’s revenue for the quarter was up 53.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 47.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were given a dividend of $1.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 19th. This represents a $4.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is currently 13.75%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Molly Benson sold 17,196 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.57, for a total value of $6,165,969.72. Following the sale, the insider owned 30,334 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,876,862.38. This trade represents a 36.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Erin M. Brzezinski sold 570 shares of Marathon Petroleum stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $362.79, for a total transaction of $206,790.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 1,576 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $571,757.04. This represents a 26.56% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 21,691 shares of company stock worth $7,780,127. Company insiders own 0.17% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum Company Profile

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) is an integrated downstream energy company engaged primarily in refining, marketing and transporting petroleum products. The company converts crude oil and other feedstocks into gasoline, diesel and other transportation fuels, as well as asphalt, propane, petrochemical feedstocks and related products.

Marathon Petroleum operates a network of refineries in the United States and markets refined products through wholesale channels, branded retail locations and commercial customers.