Czech National Bank Increases Stock Holdings in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Czech National Bank increased its holdings in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 6.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 113,952 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,469 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $3,035,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in Marathon Oil in the second quarter worth $26,000. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in Marathon Oil in the first quarter worth $27,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 678 shares during the period. Founders Capital Management lifted its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Finally, Highbridge Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in Marathon Oil in the second quarter worth $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Oil Trading Down 1.0 %

Marathon Oil stock opened at $28.06 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $27.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $27.74. The company has a market cap of $15.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.92 and a beta of 2.16. Marathon Oil Co. has a 52-week low of $21.81 and a 52-week 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.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $1.71 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.69 billion. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 22.12% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The company’s revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.48 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.53 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 21st were paid a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 21st. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.57%. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.12%.

Insider Activity at Marathon Oil

In related news, insider Dane E. Whitehead sold 52,008 shares of the business’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 transaction of $1,430,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 100,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,750,000. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, insider Dane E. Whitehead sold 52,008 shares of the business’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 transaction, the insider now directly owns 100,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,750,000. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 76,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,090,489.88. This 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 corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on MRO. StockNews.com began coverage on Marathon Oil in a research report on Sunday, October 6th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $27.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Marathon Oil from $27.61 to $28.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective 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. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.12.

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.