Swiss National Bank Has $185.50 Million Stock Holdings in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Swiss National Bank lowered its position in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 8.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,250,366 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 114,500 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned 0.33% of Marathon Petroleum worth $185,504,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 1.0% in the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 4,526,814 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $685,088,000 after buying an additional 43,989 shares during the period. Raymond James & Associates raised its position in Marathon Petroleum by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 4,102,057 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $608,581,000 after purchasing an additional 96,753 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 1.4% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,746,614 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $415,673,000 after purchasing an additional 36,987 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 8.3% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 2,341,364 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $347,365,000 after purchasing an additional 178,502 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,624,929 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $245,917,000 after buying an additional 82,576 shares in the last quarter. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Down 0.2 %

MPC stock traded down $0.40 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $182.55. 1,866,370 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,785,623. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a one year low of $104.32 and a one year high of $221.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.43. The company has a market cap of $64.32 billion, a PE ratio of 9.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.55. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $193.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $167.87.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $2.78 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.25. The firm had revenue of $32.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.07 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 5.32% and a return on equity of 25.87%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $6.09 EPS. Research analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 20.49 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.825 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.81%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio is 16.48%.

Marathon Petroleum declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, April 30th that allows the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the oil and gas company to reacquire up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MPC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $211.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Citigroup assumed coverage on Marathon Petroleum in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Bank of America raised their target price on Marathon Petroleum from $185.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $214.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $193.62.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Kim K.W. Rucker sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $170.35, for a total transaction of $170,350.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 23,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,994,026.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.21% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.