Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) Now Covered by StockNews.com

Equities researchers at StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday. The firm set a “buy” rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

MRO has been the subject of several other research reports. Argus raised shares of Marathon Oil from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $31.00 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on Marathon Oil from $26.50 to $30.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Marathon Oil from $39.00 to $36.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Marathon Oil from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $29.00 price target (down previously from $38.00) on shares of Marathon Oil in a research note on Friday, May 31st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.86.

Marathon Oil Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of MRO opened at $28.61 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.48. Marathon Oil has a 1-year low of $21.81 and a 1-year high of $30.06. The company has a market capitalization of $16.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.82 and a beta of 2.19. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $27.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $26.02.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.03. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 13.24% and a net margin of 21.83%. The firm had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.56 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.67 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Marathon Oil will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in Marathon Oil in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 226.0% during the first quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 978 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 678 shares during the last quarter. Founders Capital Management increased its holdings in Marathon Oil by 100.0% in the 2nd quarter. Founders Capital Management now owns 1,000 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC raised its position 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 worth $30,000 after buying an additional 618 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC bought a new position in Marathon Oil during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 77.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.