Federated Hermes Inc. Has $21.91 Million Stock Holdings in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Federated Hermes Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO - Free Report) by 9.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 907,011 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 91,924 shares during the quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. owned about 0.15% of Marathon Oil worth $21,913,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Invesco Ltd. grew its holdings in Marathon Oil by 51.4% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 27,988,152 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $748,683,000 after acquiring an additional 9,504,754 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley grew its holdings in Marathon Oil by 22.6% during the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,797,521 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $315,584,000 after acquiring an additional 2,176,062 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP grew its holdings in Marathon Oil by 787.1% during the third quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 1,475,267 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $39,463,000 after acquiring an additional 1,308,965 shares during the period. Aviva PLC grew its holdings in Marathon Oil by 284.3% during the third quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 974,186 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $26,059,000 after acquiring an additional 720,718 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Marathon Oil by 9.3% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 6,485,704 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $173,493,000 after acquiring an additional 550,473 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.24% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Marathon Oil from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Argus raised Marathon Oil from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $31.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Barclays assumed coverage on Marathon Oil in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $35.00 target price on the stock. Mizuho upped their target price on Marathon Oil from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Truist Financial upped their target price on Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $32.66.

Marathon Oil Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE MRO traded up $0.14 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $27.64. 7,645,809 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,868,222. The business's 50 day moving average is $26.23 and its 200-day moving average is $25.36. Marathon Oil Co. has a 12-month low of $21.63 and a 12-month high of $30.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.80 and a beta of 2.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.40.

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 for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.66 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.88 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced 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 was Tuesday, February 20th. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.59%. Marathon Oil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 36,094 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.65, for a total value of $997,999.10. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 140,829 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,893,921.85. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, 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 directly owns 596,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $16,065,130.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Patrick Wagner sold 36,094 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $3,893,921.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 281,332 shares of company stock worth $7,644,903. 0.42% of the stock is owned by company 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.