50,888 Shares in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) Acquired by Sanctuary Advisors LLC

Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 50,888 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $1,413,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in Marathon Oil in the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its stake in Marathon Oil by 226.0% during the 1st 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 stake in Marathon Oil by 100.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Highbridge Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Oil during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. 77.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Barclays lowered their target price on Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Truist Financial cut their price target on Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $27.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 30th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Marathon Oil in a research report on Sunday. They set a "buy" rating for the company. Finally, Susquehanna cut their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a "positive" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Nine equities research 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $31.12.

Insider Activity at Marathon Oil

In other news, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 38,000 shares of Marathon Oil stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Dane E. Whitehead sold 52,008 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.50, for a total transaction of $1,430,220.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 100,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,750,000. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available 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 directly owns 76,828 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,090,489.88. 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 corporate insiders.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

MRO stock traded up $0.19 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $28.33. 4,867,601 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,308,831. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.71 and a beta of 2.16. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $27.51 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.73. Marathon Oil Co. has a one year low of $21.81 and a one year high of $30.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.52.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 quarterly revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.48 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.53 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.55%. Marathon Oil's payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

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.