StockNews.com Begins Coverage on Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO)

StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO – Get Rating) in a research note published on Thursday. The firm issued a hold rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Marathon Oil from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and upped their price target for the company from $27.00 to $28.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 24th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 7th. Benchmark upgraded shares of Marathon Oil from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $32.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 16th. Raymond James upped their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $37.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a strong-buy rating in a research note on Monday, November 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $41.00 to $40.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Marathon Oil has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $33.88.

Marathon Oil Stock Down 3.7 %

Marathon Oil stock opened at $21.20 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.35 billion, a PE ratio of 4.08, a P/E/G ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 2.38. The company’s 50-day moving average is $26.11 and its 200-day moving average is $27.24. Marathon Oil has a fifty-two week low of $19.42 and a fifty-two week high of $33.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.72 and a quick ratio of 0.67.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 16th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.88 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $1.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.77 billion. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 44.95% and a return on equity of 27.07%. Marathon Oil’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.77 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Marathon Oil will post 3.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Oil Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 15th were issued a dividend of $0.10 per share. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 14th. This is an increase from Marathon Oil’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.09. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio is 7.71%.

Institutional Trading of Marathon Oil

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. bought a new position in Marathon Oil in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. bought a new position in Marathon Oil in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in Marathon Oil by 39.9% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,379 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 393 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake in Marathon Oil by 90.6% in the 1st quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 1,361 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 647 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.30% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Oil Company Profile

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Marathon Oil Corp. engages in the exploration, production, and marketing of liquid hydrocarbons and natural gas. It operates through the following two segments: United States (U. S.) and International. The U. S. segment engages in oil and gas exploration, development and production activities in the U.S.