StockNews.com Begins Coverage on Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO)

Equities research analysts at StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday. The brokerage set a “buy” rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $27.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, September 30th. UBS Group reduced their target price on Marathon Oil from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Marathon Oil from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Nine 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.12.

Marathon Oil Price Performance

MRO stock opened at $28.50 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $27.25 and a 200-day moving average of $27.53. The company has a market cap of $15.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.23 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 has a 12-month low of $21.81 and a 12-month high of $30.06.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.61 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.70 billion. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 12.87% and a net margin of 19.73%. Marathon Oil’s revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.77 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Marathon Oil will post 2.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Marathon Oil

In related 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 100,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,750,000. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, insider Dane E. Whitehead sold 52,008 shares of the 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 owns 100,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,750,000. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 38,000 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 76,828 shares in the company, valued at $2,090,489.88. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marathon Oil

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil during the second quarter worth $26,000. 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 worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Highbridge Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Oil during the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust grew its position in Marathon Oil by 77.4% in the 2nd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,066 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil in the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 77.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.