International Assets Investment Management LLC Purchases Shares of 132,822 Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 132,822 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $3,209,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of MRO. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 9,504,754 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 1,220.4% during the first 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 period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Marathon Oil by 1,134.4% during the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 5,457,542 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $130,763,000 after buying an additional 5,015,428 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in Marathon Oil in the second quarter valued at $89,591,000. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in Marathon Oil by 60.1% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 7,739,802 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $194,346,000 after acquiring an additional 2,904,140 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

Marathon Oil Trading Down 2.4 %

NYSE MRO opened at $27.68 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $26.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $25.32. Marathon Oil Co. has a 12 month low of $21.63 and a 12 month high of $30.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.81 and a beta of 2.22.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last announced 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 company had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.66 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.88 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 11th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 21st were given a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 20th. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.59%. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRO has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Marathon Oil from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Marathon Oil from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday. Argus upgraded shares of Marathon Oil from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $31.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $33.00 target price on shares of Marathon Oil in a research report on Tuesday, March 5th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $35.00 price target for the company. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marathon Oil has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $32.66.

Insider Transactions at Marathon Oil

In related news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 39,969 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 176,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,757,459.47. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Lee M. Tillman sold 80,647 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $26.94, for a total value of $2,172,630.18. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 596,330 shares in the company, valued at $16,065,130.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Patrick Wagner sold 39,969 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 19th. The stock was 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 directly owns 176,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,757,459.47. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 281,332 shares of company stock worth $7,644,903 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.42% of the company’s stock.

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.