Russell Investments Group Ltd. decreased its position in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO - Free Report) by 47.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 306,577 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock after selling 280,325 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.05% of Marathon Oil worth $7,408,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in MRO. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its position 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 valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 802 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of Marathon Oil during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the fourth quarter valued at $37,000. Central Bank & Trust Co. bought a new stake in Marathon Oil in the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC raised its stake in Marathon Oil by 159.6% during the third quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 2,388 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 1,468 shares in the last quarter. 77.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Marathon Oil Stock Performance
MRO traded down $0.07 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $26.98. 6,676,815 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,753,813. 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. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $27.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $25.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.18 and a beta of 2.22.
Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.56 billion. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 21.83% and a return on equity of 13.24%. The firm's revenue was down 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.67 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.63%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. Marathon Oil's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.18%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research firms recently commented on MRO. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Marathon Oil from $26.50 to $30.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Raymond James dropped their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $32.00 and set a "strong-buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $33.00 target price on shares of Marathon Oil in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Piper Sandler lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 19th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $32.61.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on Marathon Oil
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, CFO Dane E. Whitehead sold 73,233 shares of Marathon Oil stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.06, for a total value of $1,981,684.98. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 152,008 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,113,336.48. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CFO Dane E. Whitehead sold 73,233 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.06, for a total value of $1,981,684.98. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 152,008 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,113,336.48. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 transaction of $997,999.10. Following the transaction, the insider now directly 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 three months, insiders have sold 281,332 shares of company stock valued at $7,644,903. Corporate insiders own 0.35% of the company's stock.
Marathon Oil Company Profile
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Free Report)
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.
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