Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) Price Target Cut to $28.00 by Analysts at UBS Group

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) had its target price lowered by UBS Group from $30.00 to $28.00 in a research report released on Wednesday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a neutral rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

Other analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 5th. Mizuho lowered their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Monday, September 16th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a buy rating on the stock. Susquehanna lowered their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $39.00 to $37.00 and set a positive rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an equal weight rating and set a $29.00 price target (down from $38.00) on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Friday, May 31st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $31.65.

Marathon Oil Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE:MRO opened at $27.93 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.54 and a beta of 2.16. Marathon Oil has a 1-year low of $21.81 and a 1-year high of $30.06. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $27.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $27.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.52.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.63 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.69 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $1.71 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.69 billion. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 13.81% and a net margin of 22.12%. The firm’s revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.48 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Marathon Oil will post 2.7 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st were given a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, August 21st. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.18%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 38,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.21, for a total transaction of $1,033,980.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 76,828 shares in the company, valued at $2,090,489.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Marathon Oil news, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 38,000 shares of Marathon Oil stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.21, for a total transaction of $1,033,980.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 76,828 shares in the company, valued at $2,090,489.88. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Dane E. Whitehead sold 52,008 shares of Marathon Oil stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, September 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.50, for a total transaction of $1,430,220.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 100,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,750,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.35% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Heritage Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in Marathon Oil in the second quarter worth approximately $1,588,000. Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the 2nd quarter valued at $1,413,000. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in shares of Marathon Oil by 15.7% in the 2nd quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 144,674 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $4,148,000 after acquiring an additional 19,592 shares during the period. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the 2nd quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the 2nd quarter valued at $229,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.24% 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.