IFM Investors Pty Ltd Has $3.56 Million Stock Position in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

IFM Investors Pty Ltd cut its holdings in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 3.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 125,681 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 4,848 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $3,562,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new stake in Marathon Oil during the 4th quarter worth about $1,440,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank raised its holdings in Marathon Oil by 57.4% during the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 607,336 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $16,246,000 after acquiring an additional 221,388 shares in the last quarter. LSV Asset Management boosted its position in Marathon Oil by 3.3% during the third quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 4,692,600 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $125,527,000 after purchasing an additional 150,440 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Marathon Oil in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,209,000. Finally, Ardevora Asset Management LLP increased its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 20.4% during the 4th quarter. Ardevora Asset Management LLP now owns 449,551 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $10,861,000 after purchasing an additional 76,210 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on MRO. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $28.00 to $27.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $33.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Oil in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. Argus upgraded Marathon Oil from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $31.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $26.50 to $30.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 26th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Marathon Oil has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $32.66.

Marathon Oil Price Performance

Shares of NYSE MRO traded up $0.03 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $27.77. The company had a trading volume of 5,872,909 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,672,421. Marathon Oil Co. has a one year low of $21.63 and a one year high of $30.06. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $26.72 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market cap of $15.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.85 and a beta of 2.22.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 22nd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.69 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.62 by $0.07. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 23.20% and a return on equity of 14.09%. The firm had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.66 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.88 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 dividend of $0.11 per share. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. Marathon Oil’s payout ratio is presently 17.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Marathon Oil

In related news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 39,969 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.89, for a total transaction of $1,074,766.41. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 176,923 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,757,459.47. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, CEO Lee M. Tillman sold 80,647 shares of Marathon Oil stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 596,330 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $16,065,130.20. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Patrick Wagner sold 39,969 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.89, for a total transaction of $1,074,766.41. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 176,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,757,459.47. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 281,332 shares of company stock valued at $7,644,903. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.