Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at StockNews.com

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

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Benchmark restated a buy rating and set a $32.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Oil in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Susquehanna increased their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a positive rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $33.00 target price on shares of Marathon Oil in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $36.00 to $35.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an equal weight rating and issued a $29.00 target price (down from $38.00) on shares of Marathon Oil in a research report on Friday, May 31st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marathon Oil has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $32.23.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

NYSE:MRO opened at $27.65 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.57. The company has a fifty day moving average of $28.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $26.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.47 billion, a PE ratio of 11.43 and a beta of 2.19. Marathon Oil has a fifty-two week low of $21.81 and a fifty-two week high of $30.06.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $1.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.69 billion. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 13.81% and a net margin of 22.12%. The business’s revenue was up 12.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.48 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Marathon Oil will post 2.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be paid a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 21st. Marathon Oil’s payout ratio is 18.18%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRO. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Marathon Oil in the fourth quarter worth approximately $3,209,000. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Oil during the fourth quarter worth approximately $286,000. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in Marathon Oil by 10.0% during the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 101,761 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $2,459,000 after purchasing an additional 9,249 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in Marathon Oil during the fourth quarter worth approximately $855,000. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its holdings in Marathon Oil by 161.6% during the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 33,351 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $806,000 after purchasing an additional 20,604 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Oil Company 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.