Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO – Get Rating) by 9.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 15,163 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,338 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $342,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MRO. TradeLink Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the 1st quarter worth approximately $781,000. D.A. Davidson & CO. purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the first quarter worth approximately $209,000. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can increased its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 6.9% in the first quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 160,065 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $4,192,000 after acquiring an additional 10,388 shares in the last quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the first quarter worth approximately $206,000. Finally, Cibc World Market Inc. increased its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 7.4% in the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 187,679 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $4,713,000 after acquiring an additional 12,859 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.30% of the company’s stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several research analysts have recently weighed in on MRO shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $41.00 to $40.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 7th. Benchmark raised shares of Marathon Oil from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $32.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 16th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 7th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group boosted their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $30.00 to $32.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 3rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $33.88.
Marathon Oil Price Performance
Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO – Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 16th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.80 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $1.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.77 billion. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 44.95% and a return on equity of 27.07%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.77 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Marathon Oil Co. will post 3.63 earnings per share for the current year.
Marathon Oil Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. This is a boost from Marathon Oil’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.09. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 14th. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio is presently 7.71%.
About Marathon Oil
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.
Featured Stories
- Get a free copy of the StockNews.com research report on Marathon Oil (MRO)
- Carvana Skidding On Revenue Decrease, Heavy Debt Burden
- What Are Consumer Staples Stocks?
- Is Rocky Brands Dividend A Good Fit For Your Portfolio?
- Beyond Meat Stock Is Not Beyond Hope
- Analysts Holding As Pfizer Waits On Two Phase 3 Studies
Receive News & Ratings for Marathon Oil Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Marathon Oil and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
