Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Buy

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

MRO has been the subject of a number of other reports. Susquehanna reaffirmed a positive rating and set a $33.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Oil in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. Argus upgraded Marathon Oil from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $31.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Marathon Oil in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued an overweight rating and a $35.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $26.50 to $30.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $32.66.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRO opened at $26.34 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Marathon Oil has a 1-year low of $21.63 and a 1-year high of $30.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.88 and a beta of 2.22. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $27.03 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $25.40.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.03. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 21.83% and a return on equity of 13.22%. The business had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.67 earnings per share. Marathon Oil’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Marathon Oil will post 2.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. Marathon Oil’s payout ratio is 18.18%.

Insider Activity at Marathon Oil

In other Marathon Oil news, CEO Lee M. Tillman sold 80,647 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.94, for a total transaction of $2,172,630.18. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 596,330 shares in the company, valued at $16,065,130.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 36,094 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.65, for a total value of $997,999.10. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 140,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,893,921.85. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Lee M. Tillman sold 80,647 shares of the firm’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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 596,330 shares in the company, valued at $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. Insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Marathon Oil

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Park Avenue Securities LLC raised its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 4.8% in the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 9,062 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $257,000 after buying an additional 415 shares in the last quarter. Wahed Invest LLC increased its stake in Marathon Oil by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 10,317 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $249,000 after acquiring an additional 419 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Marathon Oil by 1.6% in 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 acquiring an additional 421 shares in the last quarter. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 4.8% during the 1st quarter. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,559 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $271,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares during the period. Finally, Argent Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 87,563 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $2,482,000 after purchasing an additional 441 shares in the last quarter. 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.