Titleist Asset Management LTD. bought a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC – Get Rating) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,817 shares of the oil and gas company's stock, valued at approximately $211,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC raised its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 46.9% during the fourth quarter. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC now owns 5,164 shares of the oil and gas company's stock worth $601,000 after buying an additional 1,649 shares during the last quarter. CHICAGO TRUST Co NA bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth $236,000. Clarus Wealth Advisors bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter worth $514,000. Financial Management Professionals Inc. increased its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 50.3% in the fourth quarter. Financial Management Professionals Inc. now owns 693 shares of the oil and gas company's stock valued at $81,000 after purchasing an additional 232 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Riverbridge Partners LLC bought a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter valued at $217,000. Institutional investors own 76.48% of the company's stock.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Up 1.6 %

Marathon Petroleum stock opened at $128.29 on Wednesday. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a fifty-two week low of $77.62 and a fifty-two week high of $136.46. The stock has a market cap of $56.66 billion, a PE ratio of 4.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.21 and a beta of 1.60. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $125.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $115.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 1.32 and a current ratio of 1.76.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 31st. The oil and gas company reported $6.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $5.54 by $1.11. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 8.07% and a return on equity of 41.55%. The business had revenue of $39.82 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $35.29 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.30 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 19.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Petroleum Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 10th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 16th were issued a dividend of $0.75 per share. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.34%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 15th. Marathon Petroleum's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.49%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $133.00 to $143.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 1st. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Marathon Petroleum from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $134.00 to $157.00 in a research note on Friday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $133.00 to $153.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 1st. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 20th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $126.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $138.63.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Petroleum

In other Marathon Petroleum news, Director Kim K.W. Rucker sold 6,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total value of $780,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 34,950 shares in the company, valued at $4,543,500. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.28% of the company's stock.

Marathon Petroleum Company Profile

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Marathon Petroleum Corp. is an independent company, which engages in the refining, marketing, and transportation of petroleum products in the United States. It operates through the following segments: Refining and Marketing, and Midstream. The Refining and Marketing segment refines crude oil and other feedstocks at its refineries in the Gulf Coast and Midwest regions of the United States, purchases ethanol and refined products for resale and distributes refined products through various means, including barges, terminals, and trucks that the company owns or operates.

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