Public Sector Pension Investment Board Buys 989 Shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Public Sector Pension Investment Board increased its position in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 98,205 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after buying an additional 989 shares during the quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $2,816,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 4.8% in the 1st 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 during the period. Wahed Invest LLC lifted its holdings in Marathon Oil by 4.2% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC grew its stake in Marathon Oil by 1.9% in the second quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 22,829 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $655,000 after acquiring an additional 428 shares during the period. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 4.8% in the first quarter. Trueblood Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,559 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $271,000 after acquiring an additional 439 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Argent Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 0.5% during the first 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 during the period. Institutional investors own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Oil Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of MRO stock opened at $26.48 on Friday. Marathon Oil Co. has a 52-week low of $21.81 and a 52-week high of $30.06. The stock has a market cap of $14.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.94 and a beta of 2.16. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $27.46 and its 200-day moving average is $27.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.57.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.06). Marathon Oil had a net margin of 22.12% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The business had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.48 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.57 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The business 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have commented on MRO. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 12th. Capital One Financial cut shares of Marathon Oil from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. Scotiabank lowered their target price on Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $27.61 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Monday, August 12th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on Marathon Oil in a research report on Saturday. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $31.74.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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