Insider Selling: Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) Insider Sells $899,485.28 in Stock

Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) insider Patrick Wagner sold 34,756 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.88, for a total transaction of $899,485.28. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 167,533 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,335,754.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Marathon Oil Trading Up 2.9 %

Shares of MRO stock opened at $27.11 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 2.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.80. Marathon Oil Co. has a fifty-two week low of $20.57 and a fifty-two week high of $33.42. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $25.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $24.33.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.05. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 28.52% and a return on equity of 18.67%. The firm had revenue of $1.51 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.51 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.32 EPS. Marathon Oil’s revenue for the quarter was down 34.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.10 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 15th. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.48%. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.62%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Marathon Oil from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $25.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $33.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 13th. Benchmark reduced their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $32.00 to $28.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 18th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Marathon Oil in a research note on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Five investment 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.com, Marathon Oil has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $31.94.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Marathon Oil

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Marathon Oil by 92.6% in the 1st quarter. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,086 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Marathon Oil in the 1st quarter valued at about $28,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in Marathon Oil in the 2nd quarter valued at about $31,000. KB Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Marathon Oil in the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, First Capital Advisors Group LLC. purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Oil during the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. 76.62% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Marathon Oil Company Profile

Marathon Oil Corporation operates as an independent exploration and production company in the United States and internationally. The company engages in the exploration, production, and marketing of crude oil and condensate, natural gas liquids, and natural gas; and the production and marketing of products manufactured from natural gas, such as liquefied natural gas and methanol.