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

S.A. Mason LLC cut its stake in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 8.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 17,666 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 1,699 shares during the quarter. S.A. Mason LLC’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $427,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 57.4% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 607,336 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $16,246,000 after purchasing an additional 221,388 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management lifted its position in Marathon Oil by 3.3% during the third quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 4,692,600 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $125,527,000 after purchasing an additional 150,440 shares during the period. Comerica Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil in the third quarter worth about $5,235,000. Pathstone Family Office LLC raised its position in Marathon Oil by 222.3% during the third quarter. Pathstone Family Office LLC now owns 67,851 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $1,815,000 after acquiring an additional 46,796 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Marathon Oil by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 849,254 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $22,718,000 after purchasing an additional 71,988 shares in the last quarter. 77.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marathon Oil Stock Up 1.0 %

MRO opened at $27.72 on Thursday. Marathon Oil Co. has a 52 week low of $21.63 and a 52 week high of $29.56. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $24.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $25.09. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a market cap of $16.00 billion, a PE ratio of 10.83 and a beta of 2.21.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.66 billion. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 14.09% and a net margin of 23.20%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.88 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.46 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 21st were given a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 20th. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.59%. Marathon Oil’s payout ratio is currently 17.19%.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Oil

In other Marathon Oil news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 39,969 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.89, for a total value of $1,074,766.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 176,923 shares in the company, valued at $4,757,459.47. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 39,969 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.89, for a total value of $1,074,766.41. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 176,923 shares in the company, valued at $4,757,459.47. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 51,389 shares of Marathon Oil stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total transaction of $1,417,822.51. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 114,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,168,104.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 245,238 shares of company stock valued at $6,646,904. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on MRO shares. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $39.00 to $36.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Raymond James dropped their target price on Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $32.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Morgan Stanley restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $25.00 price target (down previously from $27.00) on shares of Marathon Oil in a research note on Monday, December 11th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Argus raised shares of Marathon Oil from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $31.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Five 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 company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.62.

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.