Mizuho Lowers Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) Price Target to $200.00

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) had its price target decreased by analysts at Mizuho from $202.00 to $200.00 in a research note issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “neutral” rating on the oil and gas company’s stock. Mizuho’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 9.56% from the stock’s current price.

MPC has been the subject of several other reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $211.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Raymond James boosted their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 31st. Bank of America raised their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $185.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 15th. Citigroup started coverage on Marathon Petroleum in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. They set a “neutral” rating for the company. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $175.00 to $207.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Five 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. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $193.62.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Marathon Petroleum stock opened at $182.55 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.12, a PEG ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.55. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $193.92 and a 200-day moving average of $167.87. Marathon Petroleum has a 52-week low of $104.32 and a 52-week high of $221.11.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $2.78 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.53 by $0.25. The company had revenue of $32.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.07 billion. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 25.87% and a net margin of 5.32%. The company’s revenue was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $6.09 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Marathon Petroleum will post 19.96 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, April 30th that permits the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the oil and gas company to buy 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 shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marathon Petroleum news, Director Kim K.W. Rucker sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 23,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,994,026.10. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.21% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Petroleum

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MPC. Loring Wolcott & Coolidge Fiduciary Advisors LLP MA acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Marathon Petroleum by 400.0% in the 1st quarter. FinTrust Capital Advisors LLC now owns 125 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Vima LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Bruce G. Allen Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum in the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. 76.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.