Slotnik Capital LLC Lowers Position in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Slotnik Capital LLC reduced its position in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 16.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,183,964 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 238,404 shares during the period. Marathon Oil accounts for about 10.6% of Slotnik Capital LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Slotnik Capital LLC owned approximately 0.21% of Marathon Oil worth $31,529,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Gradient Investments LLC grew its stake in Marathon Oil by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 22,829 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $655,000 after acquiring an additional 428 shares during the period. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC grew its stake in Marathon Oil by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC now owns 24,084 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $641,000 after acquiring an additional 454 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust grew its stake in Marathon Oil by 77.4% in the 2nd 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 period. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Marathon Oil by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 7,897 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $210,000 after purchasing an additional 483 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Catalina Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in Marathon Oil by 3.1% during the 3rd quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC now owns 16,533 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $440,000 after purchasing an additional 495 shares during the last quarter. 77.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

Shares of MRO stock opened at $28.55 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.61, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market cap of $15.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.25 and a beta of 2.16. Marathon Oil Co. has a fifty-two week low of $21.81 and a fifty-two week high of $30.06. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $27.73 and a 200-day simple moving average of $27.69.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.70 billion. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 12.80% and a net margin of 19.73%. The business’s revenue was down 1.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.77 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 10th. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.54%. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on MRO. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Marathon Oil in a research report on Saturday, November 23rd. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Susquehanna lowered their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $27.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $27.61 to $28.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 10th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $30.94.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 36,094 shares of Marathon Oil stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.84, for a total transaction of $1,040,950.96. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 104,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,020,557.40. The trade was a 25.63 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Lee M. Tillman sold 256,591 shares of Marathon Oil stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $29.07, for a total value of $7,459,100.37. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 596,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,335,313.10. This trade represents a 30.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 382,693 shares of company stock valued at $10,964,251 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

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.