Dane E. Whitehead Sells 52,008 Shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) Stock

Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) insider Dane E. Whitehead sold 52,008 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.50, for a total transaction of $1,430,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 100,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,750,000. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Marathon Oil Price Performance

NYSE:MRO traded up $0.04 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $27.93. 15,239,267 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,536,396. Marathon Oil Co. has a 12 month low of $21.81 and a 12 month high of $30.06. The company has a fifty day moving average of $27.68 and a 200 day moving average of $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. The stock has a market cap of $15.62 billion, a PE ratio of 11.52 and a beta of 2.16.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.06). Marathon Oil had a net margin of 22.12% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The business had revenue of $1.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.69 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.48 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st were given a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.58%. Marathon Oil’s payout ratio is presently 18.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

MRO has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. 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. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $29.00 target price (down previously from $38.00) on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Friday, May 31st. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Friday. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.65.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 53.1% in the 4th quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC now owns 17,497 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $423,000 after acquiring an additional 6,066 shares during the period. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 8.7% in the 4th 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 position in shares of Marathon Oil by 21.9% in the 4th 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 period. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 33.4% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 49,630 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,199,000 after acquiring an additional 12,413 shares during the period. 77.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Marathon Oil

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.