Advisory Alpha LLC Reduces Stock Position in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Advisory Alpha LLC decreased its stake in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 13.2% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 12,239 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 1,858 shares during the period. Advisory Alpha LLC’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $351,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in shares of Marathon Oil during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in Marathon Oil during the first quarter valued at $27,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its holdings in Marathon Oil by 226.0% in the first quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 978 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 678 shares during the period. Founders Capital Management boosted its position in Marathon Oil by 100.0% in the second quarter. Founders Capital Management now owns 1,000 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Highbridge Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on MRO. Capital One Financial downgraded shares of Marathon Oil from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Marathon Oil in a research note on Saturday, September 28th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $27.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup decreased their target price on Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Marathon Oil has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.15.

Insider Activity at Marathon Oil

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

Marathon Oil Trading Up 1.2 %

Marathon Oil stock opened at $27.97 on Thursday. Marathon Oil Co. has a 1 year low of $21.81 and a 1 year high of $30.06. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $27.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $27.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The stock has a market cap of $15.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.56 and a beta of 2.16.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.69 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.48 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 21st were given a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.57%. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

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.