Mather Group LLC. Reduces Holdings in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

Mather Group LLC. decreased its holdings in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 4.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 23,721 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after selling 1,227 shares during the quarter. Mather Group LLC.’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $573,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in MRO. Smithfield Trust Co lifted its holdings in Marathon Oil by 367.9% during the third 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. bought a new stake in Marathon Oil in the third quarter worth $27,000. Anchor Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Marathon Oil in the fourth quarter worth $37,000. Central Bank & Trust Co. bought a new position in Marathon Oil during the fourth quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new position in Marathon Oil during the fourth quarter valued at $58,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 77.24% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 51,389 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.59, for a total transaction of $1,417,822.51. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 114,828 shares in the company, valued at $3,168,104.52. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CFO Dane E. Whitehead sold 73,233 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.06, for a total value of $1,981,684.98. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 152,008 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,113,336.48. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, 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 transaction of $1,417,822.51. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 114,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,168,104.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 281,332 shares of company stock worth $7,644,903 over the last 90 days. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

Shares of Marathon Oil stock opened at $26.10 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $14.92 billion, a PE ratio of 10.20 and a beta of 2.22. 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 company has a 50-day simple moving average of $26.94 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $25.44. Marathon Oil Co. has a one year low of $21.63 and a one year high of $30.06.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.07. Marathon Oil had a net margin of 23.20% and a return on equity of 14.09%. The business had revenue of $1.69 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.66 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.88 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 2.4% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.83 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.11 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.69%. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on MRO shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 15th. Mizuho boosted their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $28.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 22nd. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $33.00 target price on shares of Marathon Oil in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $39.00 to $36.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 22nd. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $32.00 target price on shares of Marathon Oil in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Four research 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.66.

Marathon Oil 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.