Signet Financial Management LLC Sells 25,651 Shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Signet Financial Management LLC lowered its holdings in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 33.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 51,204 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 25,651 shares during the period. Signet Financial Management LLC’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $1,237,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new stake in Marathon Oil in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,440,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in Marathon Oil by 57.4% in the 3rd quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 607,336 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $16,246,000 after purchasing an additional 221,388 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management lifted its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 4,692,600 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $125,527,000 after acquiring an additional 150,440 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 9.3% during the 3rd quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 849,254 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $22,718,000 after acquiring an additional 71,988 shares during the period. Finally, Pathstone Family Office LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 222.3% during the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Family Office LLC now owns 67,851 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,815,000 after acquiring an additional 46,796 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Oil Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE MRO opened at $28.35 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $16.20 billion, a PE ratio of 11.07 and a beta of 2.22. Marathon Oil Co. has a 12-month low of $21.63 and a 12-month high of $30.06. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $25.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.31. The company has a quick ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.07. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 23.20% and a return on equity of 14.09%. The firm had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.66 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.88 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 21st were paid a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 20th. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Oil

In other Marathon Oil news, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 51,389 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total value of $1,417,822.51. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 114,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,168,104.52. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, CEO Lee M. Tillman sold 80,647 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.94, for a total transaction 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 51,389 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total transaction of $1,417,822.51. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 114,828 shares in the company, valued at $3,168,104.52. 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 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Benchmark upped their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $25.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $33.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Oil in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Marathon Oil in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $35.00 price objective for the company. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.66.

Marathon Oil Profile

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.