Swiss National Bank Has $45.76 Million Position in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Swiss National Bank cut its position in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO - Free Report) by 4.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,894,009 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 92,400 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.32% of Marathon Oil worth $45,759,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRO. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 1,878,543 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $45,386,000 after acquiring an additional 29,810 shares during the period. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 18.9% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 17,977 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $434,000 after acquiring an additional 2,861 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Marathon Oil by 127.3% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,527,604 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock worth $61,067,000 after acquiring an additional 1,415,639 shares during the period. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC bought a new position in Marathon Oil during the 4th quarter worth about $283,000. Finally, Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI increased its position in Marathon Oil by 26.3% during the 4th quarter. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI now owns 26,340 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $636,000 after purchasing an additional 5,479 shares during the period. 77.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Marathon Oil from $39.00 to $36.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. 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 research note on Monday, April 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Marathon Oil from $26.50 to $30.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on shares of Marathon Oil in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $35.00 price target for the company. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Marathon Oil has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $32.61.

Insider Activity at Marathon Oil

In other Marathon Oil news, CEO Lee M. Tillman sold 80,647 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 36,094 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 140,829 shares in the company, valued at $3,893,921.85. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 596,330 shares in the company, valued at $16,065,130.20. 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 quarter. Insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.

Marathon Oil Price Performance

Marathon Oil stock traded up $0.34 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $27.05. The company had a trading volume of 9,442,635 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,776,212. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $27.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.35. The company has a market capitalization of $15.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.18 and a beta of 2.22. 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 Co. has a 1 year low of $21.81 and a 1 year high of $30.06.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.67 earnings per share. Marathon Oil's revenue was down 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.83 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. Marathon Oil's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

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.