Integrated Advisors Network LLC Boosts Stake in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Integrated Advisors Network LLC raised its position in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,062 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 830 shares during the period. Integrated Advisors Network LLC’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $364,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 23,631 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $571,000 after purchasing an additional 477 shares in the last quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 29,384 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $710,000 after purchasing an additional 487 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 7,770 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $188,000 after purchasing an additional 494 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 4,878 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $118,000 after purchasing an additional 528 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sage Mountain Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 6.5% during the fourth quarter. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC now owns 9,105 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $220,000 after purchasing an additional 555 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Oil Price Performance

NYSE:MRO opened at $27.32 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.41 billion, a PE ratio of 11.29 and a beta of 2.18. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $27.37 and a 200-day moving average of $25.57. Marathon Oil Co. has a 52 week low of $21.81 and a 52 week high of $30.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.56 billion. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 13.24% and a net margin of 21.83%. The business’s revenue was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.67 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.83 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th were issued a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 14th. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.18%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho boosted their price objective on Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 5th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target 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. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 11th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $32.00 price target on shares of Marathon Oil in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on Marathon Oil in a research note on Sunday. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $32.86.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Dane E. Whitehead sold 73,233 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.06, for a total value of $1,981,684.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 152,008 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,113,336.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Marathon Oil news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 36,094 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 140,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,893,921.85. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Dane E. Whitehead sold 73,233 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.06, for a total value of $1,981,684.98. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 152,008 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,113,336.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 160,716 shares of company stock valued at $4,397,507 in the last three months. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.