Inspire Investing LLC Grows Position in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Inspire Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 16.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,709 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,477 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $285,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Marathon Oil 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 sale, the insider now owns 100,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,750,000. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, 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 in the company, valued at $2,090,489.88. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Dane E. Whitehead sold 52,008 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at $2,750,000. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Susquehanna cut their target price on Marathon Oil from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Piper Sandler boosted their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Scotiabank upped their price target on Marathon Oil from $27.61 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $34.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.12.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

MRO opened at $26.72 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $27.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $27.69. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.07 billion, a PE ratio of 11.04 and a beta of 2.16. 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 Co. has a 12-month low of $21.81 and a 12-month high of $30.06.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last issued its earnings results 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). Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 13.81% and a net margin of 22.12%. The business had revenue of $1.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.69 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.48 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.52 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st were paid a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.65%. Marathon Oil’s payout ratio is 18.18%.

Marathon Oil 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.