Signet Financial Management LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Signet Financial Management LLC trimmed its position in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 33.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 51,204 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 25,651 shares during the quarter. Signet Financial Management LLC’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $1,237,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MRO. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. increased its position in Marathon Oil by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 26,569 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $711,000 after purchasing an additional 421 shares during the period. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in Marathon Oil by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 9,879 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 466 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. increased its position in Marathon Oil by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 23,631 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $571,000 after purchasing an additional 477 shares during the period. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Marathon Oil by 41.3% during the 1st quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC now owns 1,679 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 491 shares during the period. Finally, High Net Worth Advisory Group LLC increased its position in Marathon Oil by 50.0% during the 1st quarter. High Net Worth Advisory Group LLC now owns 1,500 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. 77.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Oil

In other news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 36,094 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.65, for a total value of $997,999.10. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 140,829 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,893,921.85. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 36,094 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.65, for a total value of $997,999.10. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 140,829 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,893,921.85. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Lee M. Tillman sold 80,647 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.94, for a total transaction of $2,172,630.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 596,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,065,130.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 281,332 shares of company stock worth $7,644,903. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

Shares of Marathon Oil stock opened at $28.35 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market cap of $16.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.07 and a beta of 2.22. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $25.94 and its 200 day moving average is $25.31. Marathon Oil Co. has a 1 year low of $21.63 and a 1 year high of $30.06.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.66 billion. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 23.20% and a return on equity of 14.09%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.88 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 20th. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $33.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Oil in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Argus raised shares of Marathon Oil from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $31.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.66.

Marathon Oil 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.