Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) Coverage Initiated by Analysts at StockNews.com

Stock analysts at StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday. The firm set a “buy” rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

MRO has been the topic of several other research reports. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Marathon Oil from $30.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 16th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $27.61 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 10th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $27.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 30th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Nine investment 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, Marathon Oil currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.12.

Marathon Oil Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of MRO stock opened at $28.59 on Friday. Marathon Oil has a twelve month low of $21.81 and a twelve month high of $30.06. The company has a market capitalization of $15.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.27 and a beta of 2.16. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $27.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $1.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.70 billion. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 19.73% and a return on equity of 12.80%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.77 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Marathon Oil will post 2.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 38,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.21, for a total value of $1,033,980.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 76,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,090,489.88. This represents a 33.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Dane E. Whitehead sold 52,008 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.50, for a total value of $1,430,220.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 100,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,750,000. This trade represents a 34.21 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.35% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Marathon Oil

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in MRO. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Founders Capital Management boosted its holdings in Marathon Oil by 100.0% in the second quarter. Founders Capital Management now owns 1,000 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Highbridge Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Marathon Oil during the second quarter valued at $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 worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the period. Finally, Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the 3rd quarter worth about $36,000. 77.24% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.