Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) Coverage Initiated at StockNews.com

Stock analysts at StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) in a report released on Wednesday. The firm set a “buy” rating on the oil and gas producer’s stock.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. Argus raised 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. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Marathon Oil from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 15th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Marathon Oil from $26.50 to $30.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 26th. Capital One Financial cut Marathon Oil from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 5th. Finally, Susquehanna reaffirmed a “positive” rating and issued a $33.00 price target on shares of Marathon Oil in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Marathon Oil presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $32.86.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

MRO opened at $28.61 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $27.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $26.02. Marathon Oil has a 1 year low of $21.81 and a 1 year high of $30.06. The stock has a market cap of $16.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.82 and a beta of 2.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 1st. The oil and gas producer reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.52 by $0.03. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 13.24% and a net margin of 21.83%. The firm had revenue of $1.55 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.56 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.67 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Marathon Oil will post 2.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Marathon Oil

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Riverview Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of Marathon Oil during the first quarter worth $27,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its holdings in Marathon Oil by 226.0% during the 1st quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 978 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 678 shares during the period. Founders Capital Management grew its position in Marathon Oil by 100.0% in the 2nd quarter. Founders Capital Management now owns 1,000 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares in the last quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC increased its stake in Marathon Oil by 100.0% during the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 1,236 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 618 shares during the period. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Marathon Oil during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. 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.