Fisher Asset Management LLC Increases Stake in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Fisher Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 1.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 1,878,543 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,810 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $45,386,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of MRO. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Marathon Oil by 51.4% during the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 22.6% during the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,797,521 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $315,584,000 after acquiring an additional 2,176,062 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Marathon Oil by 127.3% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,527,604 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $61,067,000 after purchasing an additional 1,415,639 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP increased its holdings in Marathon Oil by 787.1% in the 3rd quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 1,475,267 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $39,463,000 after purchasing an additional 1,308,965 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Aviva PLC raised its position in Marathon Oil by 284.3% in the third quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 974,186 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $26,059,000 after purchasing an additional 720,718 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

Shares of MRO opened at $26.34 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.35. Marathon Oil Co. has a 12-month low of $21.63 and a 12-month high of $30.06. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $27.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $25.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.05 billion, a PE ratio of 10.88 and a beta of 2.22.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.03. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 21.83% and a return on equity of 13.22%. The company had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.56 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.67 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.83 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a $0.11 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.67%. Marathon Oil’s payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on MRO shares. Raymond James lowered their target price on Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $32.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 24th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $32.00 price target on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Friday. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on Marathon Oil in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $35.00 target price on the stock. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.66.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 36,094 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.65, for a total value of $997,999.10. Following the sale, the insider now owns 140,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,893,921.85. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 36,094 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.65, for a total value of $997,999.10. Following the sale, the insider now owns 140,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,893,921.85. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Lee M. Tillman sold 80,647 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $26.94, for a total transaction of $2,172,630.18. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 596,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $16,065,130.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 281,332 shares of company stock valued at $7,644,903. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.