AE Wealth Management LLC Purchases 16,565 Shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

AE Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 141.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,269 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,565 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $810,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Marathon Oil by 9.9% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 75,751,369 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $2,146,794,000 after buying an additional 6,835,604 shares during the period. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Marathon Oil by 24.3% in the fourth quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 19,388,560 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $468,428,000 after acquiring an additional 3,795,020 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Oil in the second quarter worth about $64,061,000. Pentwater Capital Management LP bought a new position in Marathon Oil during the second quarter worth about $30,104,000. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its holdings in Marathon Oil by 323.9% during the first quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 1,369,127 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $38,801,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046,122 shares in the last quarter. 77.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marathon Oil Price Performance

Marathon Oil stock opened at $26.74 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $15.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.05 and a beta of 2.16. Marathon Oil Co. has a 12-month low of $21.81 and a 12-month high of $30.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.57 and its 200 day simple moving average is $27.64.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 the consensus estimate of $1.69 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.48 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

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

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 owns 100,000 shares in the company, valued at $2,750,000. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 38,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.21, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Dane E. Whitehead sold 52,008 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was 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 owns 100,000 shares in the company, valued at $2,750,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

MRO has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, September 5th. Susquehanna dropped their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Capital One Financial lowered shares of Marathon Oil from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marathon Oil currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $31.65.

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.