International Assets Investment Management LLC Invests $3.21 Million in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO)

International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 132,822 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock, valued at approximately $3,209,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in MRO. State Street Corp increased its stake in Marathon Oil by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 48,341,531 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $1,213,856,000 after purchasing an additional 392,821 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 51.4% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 27,988,152 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $748,683,000 after buying an additional 9,504,754 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 22.6% during the 3rd quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 11,797,521 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $315,584,000 after purchasing an additional 2,176,062 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in 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 last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Marathon Oil by 60.1% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 7,739,802 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $194,346,000 after buying an additional 2,904,140 shares during the last quarter. 77.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Marathon Oil Stock Down 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE:MRO opened at $27.68 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $26.04 and its 200-day moving average is $25.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 0.35 and a current ratio of 0.40. Marathon Oil Co. has a 52 week low of $21.63 and a 52 week high of $30.06. The company has a market capitalization of $15.82 billion, a PE ratio of 10.81 and a beta of 2.22.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 22nd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $1.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.66 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.88 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 51,389 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 114,828 shares in the company, valued at $3,168,104.52. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, VP Michael A. Henderson sold 51,389 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 114,828 shares in the company, valued at $3,168,104.52. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Patrick Wagner sold 36,094 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.65, for a total transaction of $997,999.10. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 140,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,893,921.85. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 281,332 shares of company stock valued at $7,644,903. 0.42% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on MRO shares. Barclays started coverage on Marathon Oil in a research note on Wednesday, April 10th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $35.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective 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. Benchmark lifted their target price on shares of Marathon Oil from $25.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Raymond James lowered their price target on Marathon Oil from $35.00 to $32.00 and set a “strong-buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 24th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $33.00 target price on shares of Marathon Oil in a research note on Tuesday, March 5th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.66.

About Marathon Oil

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.