Analysts Set Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) Price Target at $32.66

Shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eleven have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $32.66.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $35.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Marathon Oil from $39.00 to $36.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Susquehanna reiterated a “positive” rating and set a $33.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Marathon Oil from $26.50 to $30.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, UBS Group decreased 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 note on Wednesday, March 6th.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Lee M. Tillman sold 80,647 shares of the 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 owns 596,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,065,130.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Marathon Oil news, CFO Dane E. Whitehead sold 73,233 shares of Marathon Oil stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.06, for a total transaction of $1,981,684.98. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 152,008 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,113,336.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Lee M. Tillman sold 80,647 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.94, for a total value of $2,172,630.18. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 596,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,065,130.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 281,332 shares of company stock worth $7,644,903. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marathon Oil

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Oil during the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Daymark Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Marathon Oil during the third quarter worth $254,000. Indiana Trust & Investment Management CO purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Quent Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 10.6% during the 3rd quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 5,240 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $140,000 after acquiring an additional 503 shares during the period. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in Marathon Oil by 184.4% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 295,771 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $7,569,000 after purchasing an additional 191,776 shares during the period. 77.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Marathon Oil Stock Up 0.5 %

NYSE:MRO opened at $27.64 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $15.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.80 and a beta of 2.22. 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 50-day moving average price of $26.33 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $25.38. Marathon Oil has a 1 year low of $21.63 and a 1 year high of $30.06.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.07. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 14.09% and a net margin of 23.20%. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.88 EPS. Marathon Oil’s quarterly revenue was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Marathon Oil will post 2.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

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

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.