Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) Price Target Lowered to $27.00 at Wells Fargo & Company

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) had its price objective lowered by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $29.00 to $27.00 in a research report issued on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective points to a potential downside of 2.00% from the company’s current price.

MRO has been the subject of several other research reports. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Marathon Oil in a research note on Saturday. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Capital One Financial downgraded Marathon Oil from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their price target on Marathon Oil from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Marathon Oil presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.15.

Marathon Oil Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:MRO traded up $0.92 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $27.55. 4,165,654 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,417,814. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $27.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.67. Marathon Oil has a 1 year low of $21.81 and a 1 year high of $30.06. The company has a market cap of $15.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.40 and a beta of 2.16. 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 earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.69 by ($0.06). Marathon Oil had a net margin of 22.12% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The firm had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.69 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.48 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Marathon Oil will post 2.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Oil

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Oil

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil in the second quarter valued at about $76,000. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Marathon Oil in the second quarter valued at about $1,588,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,413,000. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 15.7% during the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 144,674 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $4,148,000 after acquiring an additional 19,592 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Hedge funds and other 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.