Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) Shares Purchased by Deane Retirement Strategies Inc.

Deane Retirement Strategies Inc. raised its holdings in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 6.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 147,307 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,322 shares during the period. Marathon Oil makes up approximately 1.9% of Deane Retirement Strategies Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Deane Retirement Strategies Inc.’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $3,559,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of MRO. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Marathon Oil by 51.4% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 27,988,152 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $748,683,000 after purchasing an additional 9,504,754 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 1,220.4% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 8,754,588 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $219,828,000 after buying an additional 8,091,570 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 1,134.4% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,457,542 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $130,763,000 after buying an additional 5,015,428 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in Marathon Oil in the second quarter valued at approximately $89,591,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in Marathon Oil by 60.1% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 7,739,802 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $194,346,000 after acquiring an additional 2,904,140 shares during the period. 77.24% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Oil

In other Marathon Oil news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 39,969 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.89, for a total value of $1,074,766.41. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 176,923 shares in the company, valued at $4,757,459.47. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 51,389 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total transaction of $1,417,822.51. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 114,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,168,104.52. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Patrick Wagner sold 39,969 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.89, for a total value of $1,074,766.41. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 176,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,757,459.47. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 245,238 shares of company stock valued at $6,646,904. Corporate insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $25.00 price target (down previously from $27.00) on shares of Marathon Oil in a research note on Monday, December 11th. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $33.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Marathon Oil from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $31.00 target price for the company in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Five equities research 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marathon Oil currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $31.62.

Marathon Oil Stock Up 1.9 %

NYSE:MRO traded up $0.54 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $28.25. The stock had a trading volume of 3,880,333 shares, compared to its average volume of 9,816,496. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. Marathon Oil Co. has a twelve month low of $21.63 and a twelve month high of $29.56. The company has a market capitalization of $16.31 billion, a PE ratio of 10.83 and a beta of 2.21. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $24.15 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $25.09.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.66 billion. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 23.20% and a return on equity of 14.09%. The company’s revenue was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.88 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.46 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 21st were issued a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 20th. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. Marathon Oil’s payout ratio is currently 17.19%.

Marathon Oil Company 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.