20,419 Marathon Petroleum Corporation $MPC Shares Sold by Howard Capital Management LLC

Howard Capital Management LLC cut its holdings in shares of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) by 90.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,099 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 20,419 shares during the period. Howard Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Marathon Petroleum were worth $830,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Solstein Capital LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Main Street Group LTD purchased a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the first quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Cetera Trust Company N.A acquired a new stake in Marathon Petroleum in the second quarter worth about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.77% of the company’s stock.

More Marathon Petroleum News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo issued a Buy rating on MPC, adding to the positive analyst sentiment surrounding the refiner. Wells Fargo Issues a Buy Rating on Marathon Petroleum
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised their estimated fair value for Marathon Petroleum to approximately $433.44 from $375.50, citing improved refining assumptions and stronger anticipated margins and crack spreads. Marathon Petroleum Stock Gets Fair Value Boost
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup projected significant potential appreciation for MPC, while a separate report noted the stock reached a new 12-month high following an analyst upgrade. These developments reinforce the bullish view on refining profitability. Citigroup Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation Marathon Petroleum Sets New 12-Month High
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage describes MPC as a potential hedge against diesel-related weakness, with its scale and refining exposure benefiting if industry margins remain firm. Marathon Petroleum: A Solid Hedge Vs. Diesel’s Damage
• Neutral Sentiment: Although MPC and Delek US reported stronger earnings as refining margins improved, analysts favored Delek because of its lower valuation and stronger earnings-estimate revisions. Marathon vs. Delek US
• Negative Sentiment: The stock’s decline while the market advanced highlights near-term relative weakness. Investors may also be questioning whether MPC’s large multiyear gain and current valuation already reflect much of the expected cash-flow and refining-margin improvement. Marathon Petroleum Stock Declines While Market Improves

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MPC has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded Marathon Petroleum from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $350.00 to $445.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, September 14th. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $304.00 to $457.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $265.00 to $453.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $344.00 to $462.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $417.88.

Marathon Petroleum Stock Performance

Shares of MPC stock opened at $478.38 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $139.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.14 and a beta of 0.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 1.25 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The business has a fifty day moving average of $397.65 and a 200 day moving average of $308.94. Marathon Petroleum Corporation has a 1 year low of $161.93 and a 1 year high of $485.22.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The oil and gas company reported $17.73 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $14.27 by $3.46. The company had revenue of $51.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $40.87 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 31.96% and a net margin of 5.48%. The firm’s revenue was up 53.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.96 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Marathon Petroleum Corporation will post 62.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 19th were paid a $1.00 dividend. This represents a $4.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 19th. Marathon Petroleum’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.75%.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Petroleum

In related news, SVP Shawn M. Lyon sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $350.00, for a total value of $875,000.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 12,619 shares in the company, valued at $4,416,650. This represents a 16.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Molly R. Benson sold 17,196 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.57, for a total transaction of $6,165,969.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 30,334 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,876,862.38. This trade represents a 36.18% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 21,691 shares of company stock worth $7,780,127 over the last three months. 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Marathon Petroleum Profile

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:MPC) is an American downstream energy company engaged in refining, marketing, and transporting petroleum products. Its operations include converting crude oil into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, asphalt, propane, and other refined products used by transportation, industrial, and commercial customers.

The company markets fuel under the Marathon brand and supplies products to independent marketers, commercial businesses, and other wholesale customers. Marathon Petroleum also owns a general-partner interest and significant limited-partner interest in MPLX Inc, a midstream company that operates pipelines, storage facilities, terminals, and gathering and processing assets supporting the movement of crude oil and natural gas liquids.

Marathon Petroleum’s refining and midstream activities are concentrated in the United States, with assets serving regions across the Midwest, Gulf Coast, and West Coast.