Parkside Financial Bank & Trust Increases Stake in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 12.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,878 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 528 shares during the quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $118,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smithfield Trust Co grew its holdings in Marathon Oil by 367.9% during the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 1,020 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 802 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the third quarter valued at $27,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Central Bank & Trust Co. purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the fourth quarter valued at $58,000. 77.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRO has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Marathon Oil in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $35.00 price objective for the company. Raymond James decreased their target price on Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $32.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $32.00 target price on shares of Marathon Oil in a research report on Tuesday. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $33.00 target price on shares of Marathon Oil in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marathon Oil presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.66.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Oil

In other news, CFO Dane E. Whitehead sold 73,233 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.06, for a total transaction of $1,981,684.98. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 152,008 shares in the company, valued at $4,113,336.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Lee M. Tillman sold 80,647 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 596,330 shares in the company, valued at $16,065,130.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Dane E. Whitehead sold 73,233 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.06, for a total value of $1,981,684.98. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 152,008 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,113,336.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 281,332 shares of company stock worth $7,644,903. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

Shares of Marathon Oil stock opened at $27.53 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $15.73 billion, a PE ratio of 10.75 and a beta of 2.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.40. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $25.42. Marathon Oil Co. has a one year low of $21.63 and a one year high of $30.06.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.66 billion. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 23.20% and a return on equity of 14.09%. The firm’s revenue was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.88 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.84 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.60%. Marathon Oil’s payout ratio is 17.19%.

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.