Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) Given New $34.00 Price Target at Mizuho

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) had its price target raised by Mizuho from $33.00 to $34.00 in a report published on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. Mizuho currently has a neutral rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on MRO. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $26.50 to $30.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective 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. Barclays began coverage on Marathon Oil in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued an overweight rating and a $35.00 target price for the company. UBS Group reduced their price target on Marathon Oil from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a buy rating and issued a $32.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Oil in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Marathon Oil currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $32.86.

Marathon Oil Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of MRO opened at $27.87 on Wednesday. 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 $15.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.52 and a beta of 2.17. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $27.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.45.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.56 billion. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 13.24% and a net margin of 21.83%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.67 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Marathon Oil will post 2.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Oil

In related news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 36,094 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.65, for a total transaction of $997,999.10. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 140,829 shares in the company, valued at $3,893,921.85. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Marathon Oil news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 36,094 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.65, for a total value of $997,999.10. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 140,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,893,921.85. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Lee M. Tillman sold 80,647 shares of Marathon Oil stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.94, for a total value of $2,172,630.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 596,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,065,130.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 281,332 shares of company stock worth $7,644,903 over the last quarter. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MRO. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the first quarter worth $27,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its position in Marathon Oil by 226.0% in the 1st quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 978 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 678 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in Marathon Oil during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 100.0% during the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 1,236 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. 77.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.