Catalina Capital Group LLC Raises Holdings in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Catalina Capital Group LLC grew its stake in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,533 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 495 shares during the period. Catalina Capital Group LLC’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $440,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Oil during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Founders Capital Management boosted its holdings in Marathon Oil by 100.0% in the 2nd quarter. Founders Capital Management now owns 1,000 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Highbridge Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Oil in the 2nd quarter worth about $29,000. Grove Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 77.4% during the second quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,066 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank raised its stake in Marathon Oil by 89.5% in the 2nd quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 1,620 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 765 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MRO has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $30.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. StockNews.com started coverage on Marathon Oil in a report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 15th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Marathon Oil presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $31.12.

Marathon Oil Stock Up 4.3 %

Shares of MRO opened at $28.79 on Thursday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $16.10 billion, a PE ratio of 11.20 and a beta of 2.16. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $27.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $27.51. Marathon Oil Co. has a 1 year low of $21.81 and a 1 year 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 analysts’ expectations of $1.69 billion. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 13.81% and a net margin of 22.12%. The firm’s revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.48 EPS. Analysts forecast that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.41 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.53%. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.12%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Dane E. Whitehead sold 52,008 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.50, for a total transaction of $1,430,220.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 100,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,750,000. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 38,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, September 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.21, for a total value of $1,033,980.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 76,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,090,489.88. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Dane E. Whitehead sold 52,008 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.50, for a total value of $1,430,220.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 100,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,750,000. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.