Natixis Advisors LLC Sells 67,782 Shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Natixis Advisors LLC lowered its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO - Free Report) by 18.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 297,020 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 67,782 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned about 0.05% of Marathon Oil worth $7,910,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of MRO. Gradient Investments LLC raised its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 22,829 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $655,000 after buying an additional 428 shares in the last quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC raised its stake in Marathon Oil by 1.9% during the third quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 24,084 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $641,000 after acquiring an additional 454 shares in the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 77.4% during the second quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,066 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the period. Catalina Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC now owns 16,533 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $440,000 after purchasing an additional 495 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Founders Capital Management grew its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 100.0% in the 2nd quarter. Founders Capital Management now owns 1,000 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.24% of the company's stock.

Marathon Oil Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of Marathon Oil stock traded down $0.37 during trading on Friday, reaching $28.55. 37,029,766 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,801,167. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $27.57 and a 200-day moving average price of $27.62. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.22 and a beta of 2.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. Marathon Oil Co. has a twelve month low of $21.81 and a twelve month high of $30.06.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.01. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 12.80% and a net margin of 19.73%. The company had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.77 EPS. Marathon Oil's revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.54%. Marathon Oil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Oil

In related news, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 38,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 76,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,090,489.88. This trade represents a 33.09 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Patrick Wagner sold 36,094 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.84, for a total value of $1,040,950.96. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 104,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,020,557.40. This trade represents a 25.63 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 382,693 shares of company stock worth $10,964,251 over the last ninety days. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on MRO. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $27.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Susquehanna decreased their price target on Marathon Oil from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Citigroup cut their price objective on Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. UBS Group decreased their target price on Marathon Oil from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Barclays cut their price target on Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Nine research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marathon Oil has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $30.94.

About Marathon Oil

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.