42,930 Shares in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) Bought by Virtu Financial LLC

Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 42,930 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,231,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of MRO. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in Marathon Oil by 4.8% during the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 9,062 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $257,000 after buying an additional 415 shares in the last quarter. Wahed Invest LLC lifted its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 10,317 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $249,000 after acquiring an additional 419 shares in the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 22,829 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $655,000 after acquiring an additional 428 shares in the last quarter. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC grew its position in Marathon Oil by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,559 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $271,000 after purchasing an additional 439 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Argent Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Marathon Oil by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 87,563 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $2,482,000 after purchasing an additional 441 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 38,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.21, for a total transaction of $1,033,980.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Oil Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE:MRO opened at $27.43 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $27.69 and its 200-day moving average is $27.53. 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 12 month low of $21.81 and a 12 month high of $30.06. The firm has a market cap of $15.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.33 and a beta of 2.16.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.69 by ($0.06). Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 13.81% and a net margin of 22.12%. The firm had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.48 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.7 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 21st were paid a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.60%. Marathon Oil’s payout ratio is 18.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Capital One Financial cut Marathon Oil from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. Scotiabank lowered their target price on Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $27.61 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 12th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Marathon Oil from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Nine investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.65.

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.