Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the fourteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $31.68.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on MRO shares. Truist Financial cut their price objective on Marathon Oil from $38.00 to $35.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 23rd. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $33.00 price target on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Marathon Oil from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Piper Sandler dropped their price objective on Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Raymond James decreased their target price on Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $32.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 39,969 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.89, for a total transaction of $1,074,766.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 176,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,757,459.47. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Marathon Oil news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 39,969 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.89, for a total transaction of $1,074,766.41. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 176,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,757,459.47. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Lee M. Tillman sold 80,647 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.94, for a total value of $2,172,630.18. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 596,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,065,130.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 281,332 shares of company stock valued at $7,644,903 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Oil

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marathon Oil during the 4th quarter worth approximately $454,000. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in Marathon Oil during the 4th quarter valued at $401,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new stake in Marathon Oil during the 4th quarter valued at $6,837,000. Livelsberger Financial Advisory bought a new stake in Marathon Oil during the 4th quarter valued at $47,000. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new stake in Marathon Oil during the 4th quarter valued at $3,866,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

MRO opened at $28.34 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $16.36 billion, a PE ratio of 11.07 and a beta of 2.21. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $24.28 and a 200-day moving average of $25.11. Marathon Oil has a 52-week low of $21.63 and a 52-week high of $29.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.40.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.66 billion. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 14.09% and a net margin of 23.20%. The firm’s revenue was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.88 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Marathon Oil will post 2.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

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