Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) Shares Sold by Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 31.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,855 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 1,300 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $82,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado grew its position in Marathon Oil by 374.5% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement Association of Colorado now owns 73,592 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,778,000 after acquiring an additional 58,081 shares in the last quarter. Blackstone Inc. grew its position in Marathon Oil by 23.1% in the 4th quarter. Blackstone Inc. now owns 79,901 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,930,000 after acquiring an additional 15,000 shares in the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. acquired a new position in Marathon Oil in the 4th quarter valued at about $5,051,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd acquired a new position in Marathon Oil in the 4th quarter valued at about $6,837,000. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in Marathon Oil by 19.6% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 715,772 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $20,285,000 after acquiring an additional 117,061 shares in the last quarter. 77.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marathon Oil Trading Up 2.4 %

NYSE:MRO opened at $26.49 on Friday. Marathon Oil Co. has a 12-month low of $21.81 and a 12-month high of $30.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $27.51 and its 200-day simple moving average is $27.63. The firm has a market cap of $14.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.95 and a beta of 2.16.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.69 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 in the prior year, the firm posted $0.48 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.57 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st were given a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.66%. Marathon Oil’s payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marathon Oil news, insider Dane E. Whitehead sold 52,008 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.50, for a total transaction of $1,430,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 100,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,750,000. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, insider Dane E. Whitehead sold 52,008 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.50, for a total transaction of $1,430,220.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 100,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,750,000. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 38,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.21, for a total transaction of $1,033,980.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 76,828 shares in the company, valued at $2,090,489.88. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on MRO. StockNews.com began coverage on Marathon Oil in a research report on Saturday. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $29.00 target price (down previously from $38.00) on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Friday, May 31st. Susquehanna lowered their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Capital One Financial lowered shares of Marathon Oil from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Nine equities 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.74.

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.