Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) Research Coverage Started at StockNews.com

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning. The firm issued a buy rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

MRO has been the subject of a number of other research reports. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Marathon Oil from $27.61 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Mizuho cut their price target on Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price target on Marathon Oil from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marathon Oil currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.12.

Marathon Oil Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of Marathon Oil stock opened at $26.58 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $27.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.72. Marathon Oil has a twelve month low of $21.81 and a twelve month high of $30.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.87 billion, a PE ratio of 10.34 and a beta of 2.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.69 billion. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 13.81% and a net margin of 22.12%. The business’s revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.48 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Marathon Oil will post 2.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 21st were issued a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 21st. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Dane E. Whitehead sold 52,008 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.50, for a total value of $1,430,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 100,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,750,000. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, insider Dane E. Whitehead sold 52,008 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.50, for a total value of $1,430,220.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 100,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,750,000. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 38,000 shares of Marathon Oil stock in a transaction on Friday, September 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.21, for a total value of $1,033,980.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 76,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,090,489.88. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Marathon Oil

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in Marathon Oil during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 226.0% during the first quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 978 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 678 shares in the last quarter. Founders Capital Management increased its holdings in Marathon Oil by 100.0% in the second quarter. Founders Capital Management now owns 1,000 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Highbridge Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Marathon Oil in the second quarter valued at $29,000. 77.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marathon Oil Company Profile

Marathon Oil Corporation, an independent exploration and production company, engages in exploration, production, and marketing of crude oil and condensate, natural gas liquids, and natural gas in the United States and internationally. The company also produces and markets products manufactured from natural gas, such as liquefied natural gas and methanol.