Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) Shares Sold by Axa S.A.

Axa S.A. cut its stake in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 76.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 61,708 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 195,269 shares during the period. Axa S.A.’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $1,769,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 50,852 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,229,000 after acquiring an additional 1,535 shares during the period. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC grew its position in Marathon Oil by 43.1% in the 4th quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 47,655 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,151,000 after purchasing an additional 14,343 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 444.3% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 244,407 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $5,905,000 after purchasing an additional 199,505 shares during the period. NEOS Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $201,000. Finally, Rafferty Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 3.5% during the fourth quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 445,598 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $10,766,000 after buying an additional 15,188 shares during the period. 77.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marathon Oil Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of MRO opened at $26.63 on Tuesday. 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 1-year low of $21.81 and a 1-year high of $30.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.92 and a beta of 2.16. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $27.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $27.67.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.69 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.69 billion. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 13.81% and a net margin of 22.12%. The business’s revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.48 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.57 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st were issued 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 currently 18.18%.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Oil

In related news, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 38,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.21, for a total transaction of $1,033,980.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 76,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,090,489.88. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 76,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,090,489.88. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Dane E. Whitehead sold 52,008 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the insider now owns 100,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,750,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Scotiabank cut their target price on 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price target on Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $27.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Nine equities 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.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.27.

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.