GAMMA Investing LLC Acquires 2,967 Shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 14.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,790 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,967 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $634,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in Marathon Oil in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in Marathon Oil in the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its holdings in Marathon Oil by 226.0% in the 1st quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 978 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 678 shares in the last quarter. Founders Capital Management lifted its holdings in Marathon Oil by 100.0% in the 2nd quarter. Founders Capital Management now owns 1,000 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Highbridge Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Marathon Oil in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. 77.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Oil

In other Marathon Oil news, insider Dane E. Whitehead sold 52,008 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.50, for a total value of $1,430,220.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 100,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,750,000. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 38,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 6th. The stock was 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 approximately $2,090,489.88. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Dane E. Whitehead sold 52,008 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.50, for a total value of $1,430,220.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 100,000 shares in the company, valued at $2,750,000. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

NYSE MRO opened at $28.11 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $15.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.62 and a beta of 2.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.57. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $27.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $27.72. Marathon Oil Co. has a fifty-two week low of $21.81 and a fifty-two week high of $30.06.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.69 billion. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 22.12% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The business’s revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.48 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.53 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st were given a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.57%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 21st. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRO has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Scotiabank lowered their price target on Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $27.61 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 12th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Marathon Oil in a report on Sunday. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Barclays decreased their price objective on Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $27.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $31.09.

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.