Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI Acquires 973 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI increased its holdings in Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,152 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after buying an additional 973 shares during the period. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $2,545,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aspire Private Capital LLC raised its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 4.4% in the third quarter. Aspire Private Capital LLC now owns 3,456 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $523,000 after buying an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 10,899 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,617,000 after buying an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Marathon Petroleum by 9.1% in the third quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 579,841 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $87,753,000 after buying an additional 48,540 shares in the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. purchased a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter worth $738,000. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. grew its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 6.4% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 8,925 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $1,324,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Petroleum Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of Marathon Petroleum stock traded down $1.12 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $198.39. The stock had a trading volume of 1,954,070 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,218,313. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $192.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $166.82. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 12-month low of $104.32 and a 12-month high of $221.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. The firm has a market cap of $71.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.52.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 30th. The oil and gas company reported $3.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.21 by $1.77. Marathon Petroleum had a net margin of 6.44% and a return on equity of 30.58%. The business had revenue of $36.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $6.65 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 20.49 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 16th will be paid a $0.825 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 15th. This represents a $3.30 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.66%. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.02%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on MPC. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $214.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. TD Cowen lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $168.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 31st. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $185.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 15th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Marathon Petroleum in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. They set a “neutral” rating on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $211.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $193.77.

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 shares were 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 owns 23,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,994,026.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

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.