Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) Shares Purchased by Foster & Motley Inc.

Foster & Motley Inc. raised its holdings in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 45.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,271 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,158 shares during the period. Foster & Motley Inc.’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $353,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Catalina Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in Marathon Oil by 3.1% in the third quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC now owns 16,533 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $440,000 after acquiring an additional 495 shares in the last quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Marathon Oil by 5.9% in the third quarter. Martin Investment Management LLC now owns 229,051 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $6,100,000 after purchasing an additional 12,704 shares in the last quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in Marathon Oil by 34.0% in the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 91,015 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $2,424,000 after buying an additional 23,105 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service raised its stake in Marathon Oil by 2.4% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,082,770 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $28,834,000 after buying an additional 25,518 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intact Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Marathon Oil during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $75,000. 77.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on MRO shares. StockNews.com started coverage on Marathon Oil in a research report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $27.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.12.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

MRO stock opened at $28.54 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $27.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $27.52. The company has a market capitalization of $15.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.11 and a beta of 2.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Marathon Oil Co. has a fifty-two week low of $21.81 and a fifty-two week high of $30.06.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.03. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 22.12% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The company had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.77 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.12%.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Oil

In related news, insider Dane E. Whitehead sold 52,008 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 100,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,750,000. This trade 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. In other Marathon Oil news, insider Dane E. Whitehead sold 52,008 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.50, for a total value of $1,430,220.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 38,000 shares of Marathon Oil 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 76,828 shares in the company, valued at $2,090,489.88. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.35% 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.