Benchmark Reiterates Buy Rating for Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO)

Benchmark reaffirmed their buy rating on shares of Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) in a research report report published on Tuesday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $32.00 target price on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on MRO. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Marathon Oil from $26.50 to $30.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a sector outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Barclays started coverage on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued an overweight rating and a $35.00 target price for the company. Finally, Susquehanna reissued a positive rating and set a $33.00 price target on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Monday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $32.66.

Marathon Oil Stock Up 0.8 %

MRO stock opened at $27.74 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $26.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $25.43. Marathon Oil has a twelve month low of $21.63 and a twelve month high of $30.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The stock has a market cap of $15.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.84 and a beta of 2.22.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.07. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 23.20% and a return on equity of 14.09%. The firm had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.66 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.88 EPS. Marathon Oil’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Marathon Oil will post 2.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.59%. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.19%.

Insider Activity at Marathon Oil

In other Marathon Oil news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 36,094 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.65, for a total transaction of $997,999.10. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 140,829 shares in the company, valued at $3,893,921.85. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 36,094 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.65, for a total transaction of $997,999.10. Following the sale, the insider now owns 140,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,893,921.85. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Lee M. Tillman sold 80,647 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.94, for a total value of $2,172,630.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 596,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,065,130.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 281,332 shares of company stock worth $7,644,903 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in Marathon Oil during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Smithfield Trust Co increased its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 367.9% during the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 1,020 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 802 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Oil during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Marathon Oil by 100.0% in the 4th quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 1,236 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Marathon Oil during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

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.