American Century Companies Inc. Buys 25,886 Shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 2.1% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,232,073 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 25,886 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.22% of Marathon Oil worth $35,324,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRO. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in Marathon Oil in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its position 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 valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 678 shares in the last quarter. Founders Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 100.0% during 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. Fortis Group Advisors LLC boosted 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 acquiring an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust increased its stake in Marathon Oil by 77.4% in the second quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,066 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. 77.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on MRO. UBS Group reduced their target price on Marathon Oil from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Scotiabank decreased their target price on Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $27.61 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, Capital One Financial lowered shares of Marathon Oil from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $31.76.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

NYSE:MRO opened at $27.36 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.57. Marathon Oil Co. has a fifty-two week low of $21.81 and a fifty-two week high of $30.06. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $27.71 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.53. The company has a market capitalization of $15.43 billion, a PE ratio of 11.31 and a beta of 2.16.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.69 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $1.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.69 billion. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 13.81% and a net margin of 22.12%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.48 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st were paid a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 21st. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio is 18.18%.

Insider Activity at Marathon Oil

In other Marathon Oil news, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 38,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.21, for a total value of $1,033,980.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 76,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,090,489.88. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.