New York Life Investment Management LLC Has $2.02 Million Position in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

New York Life Investment Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 7.4% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 83,469 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 6,641 shares during the quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $2,017,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Smithfield Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 367.9% in the 3rd quarter. Smithfield Trust Co now owns 1,020 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 802 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil during the third quarter worth approximately $27,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the 4th quarter worth approximately $37,000. Central Bank & Trust Co. bought a new stake in Marathon Oil during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC raised its position in Marathon Oil by 159.6% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaMark Advisors LLC now owns 2,388 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $64,000 after purchasing an additional 1,468 shares during the last quarter. 77.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Marathon Oil

In other news, insider Patrick Wagner sold 39,969 shares of Marathon Oil 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 176,923 shares in the company, valued at $4,757,459.47. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 51,389 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total value of $1,417,822.51. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 114,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,168,104.52. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 176,923 shares in the company, 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. 0.35% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Argus raised 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. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $33.00 price target on shares of Marathon Oil in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Marathon Oil from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 15th. UBS Group dropped their target price on 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, Susquehanna reissued a “positive” rating and set a $33.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Four investment 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $32.61.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

Shares of Marathon Oil stock opened at $26.72 on Tuesday. Marathon Oil Co. has a 12 month low of $21.81 and a 12 month high of $30.06. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $27.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $25.36. The company has a market capitalization of $15.07 billion, a PE ratio of 11.04 and a beta of 2.22. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.52 by $0.03. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 21.83% and a return on equity of 13.24%. The firm 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 company posted $0.67 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.83 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.65%. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

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.