StockNews.com Begins Coverage on Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO)

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO - Free Report) in a research report released on Tuesday. The firm issued a buy rating on the oil and gas producer's stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Susquehanna cut their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Marathon Oil from $27.61 to $28.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Barclays dropped their price target on Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $27.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $31.12.

Marathon Oil Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE MRO traded up $0.06 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $26.61. The stock had a trading volume of 3,694,959 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,164,004. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market capitalization of $14.89 billion, a PE ratio of 10.33 and a beta of 2.16. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $27.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.66. Marathon Oil 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 data on Wednesday, August 7th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.69 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.69 billion. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 22.12% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The firm's revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.48 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Marathon Oil will post 2.52 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 1.65%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 21st. Marathon Oil's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Oil

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRO. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 4.8% in the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 9,062 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $257,000 after purchasing an additional 415 shares during the last quarter. Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Marathon Oil during the first quarter worth $1,662,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the first quarter worth $27,000. Mcdonald Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil in the first quarter valued at $215,000. Finally, S.A. Mason LLC increased its position in Marathon Oil by 18.1% during the 1st quarter. S.A. Mason LLC now owns 20,868 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $591,000 after purchasing an additional 3,202 shares in the last quarter. 77.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.