Xponance Inc. Has $5.53 Million Stake in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Xponance Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO - Free Report) by 59.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 228,892 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after buying an additional 85,725 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.'s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $5,530,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its stake in Marathon Oil by 367.9% during the third quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 1,020 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 802 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in Marathon Oil during the third quarter worth $27,000. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Marathon Oil by 92.6% during the first quarter. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,086 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares during the last quarter. KB Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in Marathon Oil during the first quarter worth $31,000. Finally, First Capital Advisors Group LLC. bought a new position in Marathon Oil during the second quarter worth $31,000. 77.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

Shares of MRO traded up $0.10 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $27.50. 7,842,595 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,374,428. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $26.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $25.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.74 and a beta of 2.22. Marathon Oil Co. has a twelve month low of $21.63 and a twelve month high of $30.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.35.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.66 billion. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 14.09% and a net margin of 23.20%. Marathon Oil's revenue was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.88 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.74 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.60%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 20th. Marathon Oil's payout ratio is currently 17.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 36,094 shares of Marathon Oil stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.65, for a total transaction of $997,999.10. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 140,829 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,893,921.85. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 51,389 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total value of $1,417,822.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 114,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,168,104.52. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Patrick Wagner sold 36,094 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.65, for a total value of $997,999.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 140,829 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,893,921.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 281,332 shares of company stock valued at $7,644,903 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.42% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on MRO shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Marathon Oil from $26.50 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Marathon Oil from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Raymond James dropped their target price on Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $32.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Barclays began coverage on Marathon Oil in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $35.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Argus raised Marathon Oil from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $31.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Five 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 data from MarketBeat, Marathon Oil currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $32.76.

Marathon Oil 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.