Callan Capital LLC Invests $298,000 in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Callan Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 10,510 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $298,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC increased its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 3,795,020 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in Marathon Oil by 22.6% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,797,521 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $315,584,000 after purchasing an additional 2,176,062 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Marathon Oil by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 8,186,365 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $197,801,000 after purchasing an additional 556,566 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Marathon Oil by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,136,561 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $124,099,000 after acquiring an additional 18,125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management boosted its position in Marathon Oil by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 5,024,800 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $121,399,000 after acquiring an additional 332,200 shares during the last quarter. 77.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

Shares of MRO stock traded up $0.27 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $28.16. 5,049,587 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,630,686. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $27.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $26.00. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Marathon Oil Co. has a 52-week low of $21.81 and a 52-week high of $30.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.64 and a beta of 2.19.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.03. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 21.83% and a return on equity of 13.24%. The company had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.67 EPS. Marathon Oil’s quarterly revenue was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th were paid a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.56%. Marathon Oil’s payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Argus raised shares of Marathon Oil from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $31.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Capital One Financial cut shares of Marathon Oil from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $39.00 to $36.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Scotiabank increased 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. Finally, Barclays began coverage on shares of Marathon Oil in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $35.00 price objective on the stock. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marathon Oil presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.86.

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.