Lee M. Tillman Sells 159,722 Shares of Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) Stock

Marathon Oil Co. (NYSE:MRO) CEO Lee M. Tillman sold 159,722 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.36, for a total value of $4,369,993.92. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 710,383 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,436,078.88. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Marathon Oil Trading Down 0.6 %

Marathon Oil stock traded down $0.15 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $26.75. The stock had a trading volume of 10,209,166 shares, compared to its average volume of 11,023,742. Marathon Oil Co. has a twelve month low of $20.57 and a twelve month high of $33.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.20 billion, a PE ratio of 8.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.54 and a beta of 2.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.80. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $26.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $24.40.

Marathon Oil (NYSE:MRO) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 2nd. The oil and gas producer reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.05. Marathon Oil had a return on equity of 18.67% and a net margin of 28.52%. The firm had revenue of $1.51 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.51 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.32 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 34.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Marathon Oil Co. will post 2.51 EPS for the current year.

Marathon Oil Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 16th were issued a $0.10 dividend. This represents a $0.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 15th. Marathon Oil’s payout ratio is currently 12.62%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Marathon Oil by 92.6% during the first quarter. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,086 shares of the oil and gas producer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 522 shares in the last quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Oil during the first quarter worth about $28,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the second quarter worth about $31,000. KB Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the first quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, First Capital Advisors Group LLC. acquired a new position in shares of Marathon Oil in the second quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.62% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

MRO has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Marathon Oil from $29.00 to $35.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, August 17th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Marathon Oil from $40.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, September 14th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Marathon Oil from $37.00 to $35.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 18th. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Marathon Oil from $32.00 to $34.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, August 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on Marathon Oil from $27.00 to $26.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 18th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $32.31.

Marathon Oil Company Profile

Marathon Oil Corporation operates as an independent exploration and production company in the United States and internationally. The company engages in the exploration, production, and marketing of crude oil and condensate, natural gas liquids, and natural gas; and the production and marketing of products manufactured from natural gas, such as liquefied natural gas and methanol.