Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) Price Target Cut to $28.00 by Analysts at UBS Group

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) had its price objective cut by UBS Group from $30.00 to $28.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Capital One Financial cut shares of Marathon Oil from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 5th. Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $27.61 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an equal weight rating and issued a $29.00 price objective (down previously from $38.00) on shares of Marathon Oil in a research report on Friday, May 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price target on Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Nine investment 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $31.65.

Marathon Oil Price Performance

Marathon Oil stock opened at $27.43 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.33 and a beta of 2.16. Marathon Oil has a one year low of $21.81 and a one year high of $30.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $27.69 and a 200-day moving average price of $27.53.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last issued 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 company had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.48 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Marathon Oil will post 2.7 EPS 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. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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 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 completion of 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Marathon Oil

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 53.1% in the fourth quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 17,497 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $423,000 after buying an additional 6,066 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the fourth quarter valued at about $53,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 13,129 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $317,000 after acquiring an additional 1,052 shares during the period. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 15,976 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $386,000 after acquiring an additional 2,875 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 33.4% during the fourth quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 49,630 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,199,000 after purchasing an additional 12,413 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

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.