Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) Position Trimmed by Financial Counselors Inc.

Financial Counselors Inc. trimmed its stake in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 2.0% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 40,472 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 838 shares during the quarter. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $1,078,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in MRO. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil during the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Founders Capital Management boosted its position in Marathon Oil by 100.0% during the second quarter. Founders Capital Management now owns 1,000 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Highbridge Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Marathon Oil in the second quarter valued at about $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust increased its position in Marathon Oil by 77.4% in the 2nd quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,066 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil during the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. 77.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

MRO has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Susquehanna lowered their price target on Marathon Oil from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $27.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $27.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $30.94.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

Marathon Oil stock opened at $28.55 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.25 and a beta of 2.16. Marathon Oil Co. has a 52-week low of $21.81 and a 52-week high of $30.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.61. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $27.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $27.69.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.70 billion. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 12.80% and a net margin of 19.73%. The business’s revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.77 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.34 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.54%. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.88%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Marathon Oil news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 36,094 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.84, for a total transaction of $1,040,950.96. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 104,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,020,557.40. This trade represents a 25.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Lee M. Tillman sold 256,591 shares of Marathon Oil stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.07, for a total transaction of $7,459,100.37. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 596,330 shares in the company, valued at $17,335,313.10. The trade was a 30.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 382,693 shares of company stock valued at $10,964,251. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.