Kentucky Retirement Systems Lowers Stake in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Kentucky Retirement Systems decreased its position in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 5.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,445 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 2,381 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems’ holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $1,260,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 226.0% in the first quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 978 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 678 shares during the period. Fortis Group Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 1,236 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 618 shares during the period. Manchester Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Oil Stock Down 0.1 %

NYSE MRO traded down $0.02 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $27.87. 4,426,487 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,573,268. Marathon Oil Co. has a 12 month low of $21.81 and a 12 month high of $30.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.72 billion, a PE ratio of 11.52 and a beta of 2.19. The company has a 50 day moving average of $27.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $26.36.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.03. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 21.83% and a return on equity of 13.24%. The firm had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.56 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.67 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRO has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $29.00 target price (down previously from $38.00) on shares of Marathon Oil in a research report on Friday, May 31st. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Marathon Oil in a research report on Friday. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Susquehanna lifted their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “positive” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank lowered shares of Marathon Oil from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $45.00 to $29.00 in a research report on Friday, July 12th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marathon Oil presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.14.

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.