Qsemble Capital Management LP Buys Shares of 80,688 Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Qsemble Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 80,688 shares of the oil and gas producer's stock, valued at approximately $1,949,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smithfield Trust Co increased its holdings in Marathon Oil by 367.9% in the 3rd 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 during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in Marathon Oil during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil in the fourth quarter valued at about $37,000. Central Bank & Trust Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Finally, MeadowBrook Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,000. 77.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marathon Oil Price Performance

Shares of MRO traded down $0.60 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $26.59. 6,863,353 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 8,976,842. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $27.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $25.33. Marathon Oil Co. has a 52-week low of $21.81 and a 52-week high of $30.06. The company has a market cap of $15.00 billion, a PE ratio of 10.99 and a beta of 2.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.55.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.03. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 13.24% and a net margin of 21.83%. The company had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.56 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.67 earnings per share. Marathon Oil's revenue for the quarter was down 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.65%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. Marathon Oil's payout ratio is 18.18%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Dane E. Whitehead sold 73,233 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.06, for a total transaction of $1,981,684.98. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 152,008 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,113,336.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Marathon Oil 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 of the company's stock, valued at $16,065,130.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Dane E. Whitehead sold 73,233 shares of Marathon Oil stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 152,008 shares in the company, valued at $4,113,336.48. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 281,332 shares of company stock worth $7,644,903 in the last quarter. 0.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MRO. 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. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 19th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Marathon Oil from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 6th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $32.61.

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.