Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) Research Coverage Started at StockNews.com

StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) in a report issued on Tuesday. The brokerage issued a buy rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Capital One Financial downgraded Marathon Oil from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. Susquehanna raised their target price on Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a positive rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued 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 decreased their target price on 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, UBS Group decreased their target price on Marathon Oil from $32.00 to $30.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 13th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $32.40.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

Shares of MRO opened at $28.65 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market capitalization of $16.16 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.84 and a beta of 2.19. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $28.11 and a 200 day moving average of $27.21. Marathon Oil has a 12 month low of $21.81 and a 12 month high of $30.06.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.63 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.06). Marathon Oil had a net margin of 22.12% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The business had revenue of $1.71 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.69 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.48 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Marathon Oil will post 2.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be given a dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 21st. Marathon Oil’s payout ratio is 18.18%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Oil

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cetera Investment Advisers grew its position in Marathon Oil by 15.7% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 144,674 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $4,148,000 after buying an additional 19,592 shares in the last quarter. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in Marathon Oil during the second quarter worth about $26,000. EP Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Marathon Oil during the second quarter worth about $229,000. Quarry LP grew its position in Marathon Oil by 113.8% during the second quarter. Quarry LP now owns 113,007 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $3,240,000 after buying an additional 60,146 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Water Island Capital LLC purchased a new position in Marathon Oil during the second quarter worth about $33,273,000. 77.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.