Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) Shares Acquired by Headlands Technologies LLC

Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) by 3,311.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 245,714 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock after purchasing an additional 238,511 shares during the period. Marathon Oil accounts for about 0.7% of Headlands Technologies LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Headlands Technologies LLC’s holdings in Marathon Oil were worth $7,045,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new position in Marathon Oil in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its position in Marathon Oil by 226.0% in the first quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 978 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 678 shares during the period. Founders Capital Management raised its position in Marathon Oil by 100.0% in the second quarter. Founders Capital Management now owns 1,000 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust raised its position in Marathon Oil by 77.4% in the second quarter. Grove Bank & Trust now owns 1,066 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 465 shares during the period. Finally, Fortis Group Advisors LLC raised its position in Marathon Oil by 100.0% in the fourth quarter. Fortis Group Advisors LLC now owns 1,236 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 618 shares during the period. 77.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on MRO. StockNews.com began coverage on Marathon Oil in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $29.00 price objective (down previously from $38.00) on shares of Marathon Oil in a research report on Friday, May 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $33.00 price objective on shares of Marathon Oil in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Marathon Oil from $33.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 5th. Finally, Citigroup cut their price objective on Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $28.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 5th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Marathon Oil has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $32.03.

Marathon Oil Stock Performance

Marathon Oil stock traded down $0.22 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $26.41. The company had a trading volume of 298,658 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,567,501. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Marathon Oil Co. has a 52 week low of $21.81 and a 52 week high of $30.06. The company has a 50 day moving average of $27.95 and a 200-day moving average of $27.44. The firm has a market cap of $14.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.01 and a beta of 2.16.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The oil and gas producer reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) 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 net margin of 22.12% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.48 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Marathon Oil Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 21st will be paid a $0.11 dividend. This represents a $0.44 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 21st. Marathon Oil’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.18%.

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.