Islay Capital Management LLC Grows Stock Position in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Islay Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 8,855 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after purchasing an additional 442 shares during the quarter. Marathon Petroleum makes up approximately 1.0% of Islay Capital Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Islay Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $1,314,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aspire Private Capital LLC boosted its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Aspire Private Capital LLC now owns 3,456 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $523,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 10,899 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $1,617,000 after acquiring an additional 340 shares during the last quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 579,841 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $87,753,000 after acquiring an additional 48,540 shares during the last quarter. Intrust Bank NA boosted its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Intrust Bank NA now owns 5,786 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $858,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Trust Point Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $738,000. 76.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Down 7.2 %

Shares of Marathon Petroleum stock traded down $14.36 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $186.15. 3,264,508 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,752,661. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 52-week low of $104.32 and a 52-week high of $221.11. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $193.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $167.44. The firm has a market cap of $67.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $3.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $1.77. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 30.58% and a net margin of 6.44%. The company had revenue of $36.26 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $6.65 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 20.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 16th will be given a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. Marathon Petroleum’s payout ratio is currently 14.02%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MPC has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com upgraded Marathon Petroleum from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 9th. Barclays raised their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Bank of America raised their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $185.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 15th. Raymond James raised their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $214.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $193.77.

Insider Activity at Marathon Petroleum

In other Marathon Petroleum news, Director Kim K.W. Rucker sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.35, for a total value of $170,350.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 23,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,994,026.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.21% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.