8,000 Shares in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) Purchased by KCM Investment Advisors LLC

KCM Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 8,000 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $227,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of MRO. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the first quarter worth $27,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 226.0% during the 1st quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 978 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 678 shares during the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 1,236 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 618 shares during the period. Manchester Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Oil during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in Marathon Oil during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 77.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Marathon Oil Price Performance

MRO traded up $0.11 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $28.56. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 668,878 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,507,408. Marathon Oil Co. has a 12 month low of $21.81 and a 12 month high of $30.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $27.58 and its 200-day moving average price is $26.08. The stock has a market cap of $16.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.77 and a beta of 2.19.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.03. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 21.83% and a return on equity of 13.24%. The firm had revenue of $1.55 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.67 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 10th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.54%. Marathon Oil’s payout ratio is presently 18.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on MRO shares. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Marathon Oil from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $26.50 to $30.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Marathon Oil in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Scotiabank downgraded shares of Marathon Oil from a “sector outperform” rating to a “sector perform” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $45.00 to $29.00 in a research report on Friday. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Marathon Oil has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.97.

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.