Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) Now Covered by Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) in a research report report published on Wednesday. The brokerage issued a buy rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on MRO. Susquehanna upped their price target on Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a positive rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Scotiabank reduced their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $27.61 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research report on Monday, August 12th. Mizuho raised their price objective on Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an equal weight rating and issued a $29.00 target price (down from $38.00) on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Friday, May 31st. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $32.28.

Marathon Oil Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:MRO opened at $27.35 on Wednesday. Marathon Oil has a 52 week low of $21.81 and a 52 week high of $30.06. The company’s 50 day moving average is $28.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $27.34. The company has a market cap of $15.43 billion, a PE ratio of 11.30 and a beta of 2.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last posted its earnings results 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 analysts’ expectations of $1.69 billion. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 22.12% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.48 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Marathon Oil will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be given a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.61%. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marathon Oil

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 15.7% in the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 144,674 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $4,148,000 after acquiring an additional 19,592 shares in the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in Marathon Oil in the 2nd quarter valued at about $26,000. EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil during the 2nd quarter worth about $229,000. Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 113.8% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 113,007 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $3,240,000 after buying an additional 60,146 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Water Island Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,273,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

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.