9,113 Shares in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) Purchased by Foster & Motley Inc.

Foster & Motley Inc. acquired a new position in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 9,113 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $261,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 226.0% in the 1st quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 978 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 678 shares during the period. Founders Capital Management increased its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 100.0% in the 2nd quarter. Founders Capital Management now owns 1,000 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust increased its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 77.4% in the 2nd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,066 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the period. Finally, Fortis Group Advisors LLC grew its position in Marathon Oil by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 1,236 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on MRO. Susquehanna decreased their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $29.00 price objective (down previously from $38.00) on shares of Marathon Oil in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marathon Oil presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.03.

Marathon Oil Price Performance

MRO stock opened at $26.72 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Marathon Oil Co. has a one year low of $21.81 and a one year high of $30.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.95 billion, a PE ratio of 11.04 and a beta of 2.16. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $27.99 and a two-hundred day moving average of $27.36.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $1.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.69 billion. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 22.12% and a return on equity of 13.81%. Marathon Oil’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.48 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be given a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 21st. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.18%.

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.