Paragon Capital Management Ltd Acquires New Holdings in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Paragon Capital Management Ltd acquired a new stake in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 7,455 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $211,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fortis Group Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 1,236 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Oil during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Oil during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Oil during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Finally, ICA Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Oil during the fourth quarter worth $37,000. 77.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marathon Oil Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE MRO traded down $0.07 during trading on Friday, hitting $27.76. 17,916,214 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 11,378,374. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.47 and a beta of 2.17. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $27.26 and a 200-day moving average price of $25.63. Marathon Oil Co. has a 1 year low of $21.81 and a 1 year high of $30.06.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.56 billion. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 13.24% and a net margin of 21.83%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.67 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.83 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th were paid a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 14th. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.18%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on MRO. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $29.00 price target (down previously from $38.00) on shares of Marathon Oil in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $32.00 price target on shares of Marathon Oil in a research note on Friday, May 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $33.00 price target on shares of Marathon Oil in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Argus raised Marathon Oil from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $31.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on Marathon Oil from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Marathon Oil currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.86.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 36,094 shares of Marathon Oil stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.65, for a total transaction of $997,999.10. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 140,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,893,921.85. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 36,094 shares of Marathon Oil stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.65, for a total transaction of $997,999.10. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 140,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,893,921.85. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 51,389 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 114,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,168,104.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.