Janus Henderson Group PLC Sells 44,387 Shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC)

Janus Henderson Group PLC trimmed its position in shares of Marathon Petroleum Co. (NYSE:MPC) by 3.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,232,479 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock after selling 44,387 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned 0.35% of Marathon Petroleum worth $248,337,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter worth about $500,685,000. Capital Wealth Planning LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marathon Petroleum by 10,902.9% in the 1st quarter. Capital Wealth Planning LLC now owns 1,110,630 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock worth $223,792,000 after purchasing an additional 1,100,536 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group grew its position in Marathon Petroleum by 309.9% during the fourth quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 643,590 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $95,483,000 after buying an additional 486,573 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in Marathon Petroleum by 248.1% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 608,888 shares of the oil and gas company’s stock valued at $90,335,000 after buying an additional 433,977 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canoe Financial LP bought a new position in Marathon Petroleum in the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,604,000. 76.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marathon Petroleum Price Performance

Marathon Petroleum stock traded up $6.33 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $178.29. 2,261,305 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,670,510. The stock has a market cap of $62.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.90, a PEG ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.40. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $171.72 and its 200-day moving average is $178.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. Marathon Petroleum Co. has a 12 month low of $131.21 and a 12 month high of $221.11.

Marathon Petroleum (NYSE:MPC) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th. The oil and gas company reported $2.78 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.53 by $0.25. Marathon Petroleum had a return on equity of 25.87% and a net margin of 5.32%. The firm had revenue of $32.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $32.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $6.09 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 6.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Marathon Petroleum Co. will post 13.84 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Petroleum announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, April 30th that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the oil and gas company to repurchase up to 7.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MPC has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Scotiabank cut their price objective on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $207.00 to $191.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, July 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Marathon Petroleum from $191.00 to $186.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price objective on Marathon Petroleum from $222.00 to $231.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 15th. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Marathon Petroleum to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 30th. Finally, Raymond James dropped their price target on shares of Marathon Petroleum from $235.00 to $230.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, May 30th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marathon Petroleum currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $193.64.

Marathon Petroleum Company 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.