Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $32.66.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Benchmark increased their price target on Marathon Oil from $25.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Marathon Oil from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Susquehanna reiterated a “positive” rating and set a $33.00 target price on shares of Marathon Oil in a research report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $33.00 price target on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $39.00 to $36.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 22nd.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

NYSE MRO opened at $27.64 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $15.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.80 and a beta of 2.22. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $26.33 and its 200-day moving average price is $25.38. Marathon Oil has a fifty-two week low of $21.63 and a fifty-two week high of $30.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.40.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.66 billion. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 23.20% and a return on equity of 14.09%. The firm’s revenue was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.88 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Marathon Oil will post 2.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 20th. Marathon Oil’s payout ratio is 17.19%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 39,969 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.89, for a total transaction of $1,074,766.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 176,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,757,459.47. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Lee M. Tillman sold 80,647 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.94, for a total value of $2,172,630.18. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 596,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,065,130.20. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Patrick Wagner sold 39,969 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.89, for a total value of $1,074,766.41. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 176,923 shares in the company, valued at $4,757,459.47. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 281,332 shares of company stock worth $7,644,903. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marathon Oil

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRO. Smithfield Trust Co raised its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 367.9% in the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 1,020 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 802 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Marathon Oil during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Fortis Group Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 1,236 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 618 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

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.