Financial Counselors Inc. Lowers Stake in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Financial Counselors Inc. lowered its position in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 3.1% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 41,310 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 1,324 shares during the quarter. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $1,184,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in MRO. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the first quarter worth $27,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 226.0% in the first quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 978 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 678 shares in the last quarter. Founders Capital Management lifted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 1,236 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Oil Trading Down 3.3 %

MRO stock opened at $27.71 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Marathon Oil Co. has a twelve month low of $21.81 and a twelve month high of $30.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.45 and a beta of 2.19. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $28.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $27.31.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.69 billion. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 13.81% and a net margin of 22.12%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.48 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be issued a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 21st. Marathon Oil’s payout ratio is presently 18.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 13th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Marathon Oil in a research note on Wednesday. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Susquehanna upped their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “positive” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank decreased their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $27.61 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, August 12th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.40.

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.