Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) Shares Sold by Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC

Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC cut its stake in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 7.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,774 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 901 shares during the quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $305,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new stake in Marathon Oil during the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. Fortis Group Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Marathon Oil by 100.0% in the 4th 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 during the period. Manchester Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Oil in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Marathon Oil during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Marathon Oil during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 77.24% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently issued reports on MRO shares. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Monday, June 24th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Marathon Oil from $39.00 to $36.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Marathon Oil from $26.50 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 26th. Barclays began coverage on Marathon Oil in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $35.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $45.00 and gave the company a “sector outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Six investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marathon Oil currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.86.

Marathon Oil Price Performance

Shares of Marathon Oil stock opened at $28.67 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.85 and a beta of 2.19. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $27.33 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $25.81. Marathon Oil Co. has a 12 month low of $21.81 and a 12 month high of $30.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.03. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 13.24% and a net margin of 21.83%. The firm had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.56 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.67 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.53%. Marathon Oil’s payout ratio is presently 18.18%.

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.