Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) Price Target Cut to $32.00

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) had its price target decreased by equities research analysts at Mizuho from $34.00 to $32.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock. Mizuho’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 16.96% from the stock’s current price.

MRO has been the subject of a number of other reports. Capital One Financial downgraded shares of Marathon Oil from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. Scotiabank lowered their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $27.61 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 12th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $29.00 target price (down from $38.00) on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Friday, May 31st. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Marathon Oil currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.76.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

Shares of MRO opened at $27.36 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market cap of $15.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.31 and a beta of 2.16. The company has a 50-day moving average of $27.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $27.53. Marathon Oil has a 12-month low of $21.81 and a 12-month high of $30.06.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 13.81% and a net margin of 22.12%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.48 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Marathon Oil will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Marathon Oil

In related news, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 38,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.21, for a total value of $1,033,980.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 76,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,090,489.88. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marathon Oil

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRO. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in Marathon Oil in the second quarter valued at $26,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new stake in Marathon Oil during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its stake in Marathon Oil by 226.0% during the first quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 978 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 678 shares during the last quarter. Founders Capital Management increased its stake in Marathon Oil by 100.0% during the second quarter. Founders Capital Management now owns 1,000 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Highbridge Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Marathon Oil during the second quarter valued at $29,000. 77.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.